


Reckless road to Freedom

by mydaydreamsatnight



Category: League of Legends RPF
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Fnatic, Friendship, Team Bonding, Team as Family, fic is now set as mature
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-02-16 07:11:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13049091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydaydreamsatnight/pseuds/mydaydreamsatnight
Summary: Rekkles meets someone new.(The story happens a few weeks before Worlds 2017 starts, and it goes from there...)





	1. Chapter 1

“Martin, let’s go!”

Rekkles hears sOAZ’s voice echoes the room, followed by the rest of the team.

“You’re not ready yet?” Jesiz asks, showing up behind sOAZ.

Broxah was next, “Go change into something nice, we are going to a club.”

“Alright clowns, my hair is done, let’s go!” Caps walks in, smiling.

Rekkles turns his chair around to face his friends, “I don’t really feel like going...”

“We have been in here for too long, Martin. We need a distraction.” Broxah says calmly, sitting on the chair next to Rekkles.

Shit. He doesn’t wanna go to a damn club. He wants to stay indoors and maybe stream some matches. But when he looks to his team, all fancy and ready and eager to go out, he couldn’t say no.

“Fine,” He says, standing up from his chair, “We are not gonna stay out all night in this club, right?”

“No, we will just have a nice night out, for a change,” Jesiz told him without looking away from his phone.

Caps claps his hands together, signing him to go. “So? Come on, move it, hurry up, let’s go!”

Rekkles knew they were right, even though going to a club wasn’t the right fit for him, going out with his friends sounded like a good thing.

“Okay okay. Give me 10mins. I will go change.” He sighs with a smile, walking to his room.

“Don’t take too long! My hair won’t last like this all night!” Caps yells.

“I said 10 minutes!!” Rekkles yells back from his room.

 

 

Rekkles look around and wonder what he is going to wear. Can’t go wrong with basic, can it? Before overthinking it, he puts some jeans and a black shirt and his favorite cap. They head out to the club shortly after it. Everyone seemed hype to visit this club, which was weird, none of them was the party type.

“How do you know about this club?” Rekkles asks getting out of the car.

“Finlay mentioned a few days ago, and I looked it up and saw some good reviews and thought it would be cool to check it out...” Jesiz explains.

They walked over to the door but got detained when trying to get in.

“I need to see some ID, please.” The security warns, looking at Caps.

“No one here is underage,” Jesiz says.

The security arched an eyebrow. “Then there’s no problem with showing me the ID, is there?”

The team sighs but do as they are told. Everyone shows the ID and slowly, one by one, they got inside the club.

Soon as the door opens, Rekkles can’t hear his friends anymore. The music is bumping through the fairly crowded club, making Rekkles frown but the frown quickly disappears once he sees a girl close to the bar. He follows his friend to an empty spot where they gathered for the moment. He tries to find the girl again, but with no luck.

When his attention went back to his friends, they were already in the middle of something.

“He has been busy with some family stuff.” sOAZ explains.

“Yeah I heard, but I didn’t know he was gonna leave,” Jesiz complains.

Caps seem upset, “Leave us?”

“Seems like it,” Jesiz concludes.

sOAZ shakes his head, “He is not leaving us. But he will be stepping out for a few weeks, I think.”

“Who you guys talking about?” Rekkles finally asks.

“Finlay. He got some family stuff going on... he might be away for a while.” sOAZ says.

Caps look at Rekkles, “He wouldn’t leave without saying anything, right?”

“No one is leaving anyone.” sOAZ says it again.

“He was still here last night, but he was very distracted when I talked to him.” Rekkles mention.

“I hope is nothing serious,” Broxah says in a quiet voice.

The team nods and hopes for the best. Not much they can do without more information. Broxah, Caps, and Jesiz went to order some beers, while sOAZ stayed with Rekkles.

His eyes searched again for the girl from before when he hears sOAZ’s voice. “At least the music here isn’t half bad...”

Rekkles chuckles but not paying much attention anymore. There she was. He found her again. There were some people around her, talking and laughing.

Broxah gently pokes Rekkles in the shoulder to hand him a beer. He thanks him but his eyes quickly went back to his mysterious girl. _His_. Rekkles sighs and his mind laughs at him. _Yeah right_.

“She’s pretty”

He turns to see sOAZ looking back at him with an amused look on his face. But he decides not to answer it, at least not with words, he simply nods. If he had use words, it would be an outburst like _Are you blind? She’s not just pretty, she is beautiful_.

“Are you gonna stand over here and stare all night while she’s all the way over there?” sOAZ asks.

Rekkles asks, confused. “What?”

Was he staring? He wasn’t staring, was he? Was it that obvious? Did she notice? Oh my God, she probably noticed too. Awesome. He was now that creepy guy who stares at girls in clubs. Well, one beautiful girl.

sOAZ can’t help to smile at his friend. “Come on, man. Go talk to her!”

_And say what??_

“I don’t know, man...”

“You have no game, do you?”

And that was the truth, he had no game. He sees her smiling and he sighs. She is so beautiful. He couldn’t just go over there and start a small talk with a completely random person. Could he? That’s probably what everyone in here was doing, right? No one goes to a club just for the music.

“The others found a booth, let’s go.” sOAZ says, pulling him back from his thoughts.

Rekkles follows his friend, was about time they found a better spot to stay... wait, why are we walking towards her?

“Paul... why–”

sOAZ approach her, carefully. “Hi, excuse me. I don’t mean to bother you or anything–”

“What are you doing?” Rekkles tug his friend’s elbow.

“–but my friend here was too chicken to come and introduce himself, so I’m doing it for him.”

“Don’t–”

“This is Martin.” He gives Rekkles a quick glance patting him on the shoulders, before facing the girl again, who was now smiling at the scene in front of her. “Now that my job is done, you two have fun.” He slowly turns to leave, smirking at Rekkles as he leans closer. “This club got no booths, dude. You’re welcome!”

Rekkles is left there, half dumbfounded and half impressed with his friend actions. Is not like he is bad at dating or meeting new people, he just never had much practice at it. And to him, picking someone at a bar seemed pretty unreal.

“Hi.” She greets him first.

He takes off his hat, quickly tugging his hair back before their eyes lock together again.

“I’m sorry about my friend. He shouldn’t have...” He tries to explain or at least justify his friend’s behavior, but she stops him.

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” She says calmly and smiles. “I’m Chris.”

“Martin.” He repeats smiling back, a little shy and awkwardly. What the hell was he gonna do now? What if she is with someone else? He looks around but doesn’t find the people who were here before. “Are you here alone?”

“With a few friends, but they are all doing their own thing for now. You know, flirting, dancing, hooking up...”

She tells him, making him chuckle a bit. “Ah. The usual.”

He tries joking around, but the reality was that he never did any of those things. Playing professionally took a lot of his time and attention, he knows that. And most times and most days, he doesn’t regret it. But, at this moment, he wished his life was a little different. He wished he could smooth talk her, and flirt and take her dancing and if he didn’t push his luck, maybe hook up with her at the end of the night... like a normal teenager would do.

Even though he feels nervous, he tries his best to be confident. His friend already admitted he didn’t have the balls to approach her on his own, he completely infiltrated himself into her night out, he was definitely giving the creepy boy vibe, and still, she didn’t push him away. She is there. She is smiling back at him. She is talking to him.

Her calmness was helping him to keep it together. Rekkles saw the opportunity to order another beer when he saw her drink being delivered.

“What is that?”

He asked, and she smiles at his curiosity.

“Margarita trio. Strawberry, Cranberry and Rock Melon.” She tells him, pointing to each glass and their flavors. “Here, pick one.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. It’s not strong, don’t worry. Which one do you want?”

“I want all three...” He admits before he can stop himself. Her amuse and obviously surprise look makes him blush. “I just... never had those.”

She laughs. “Alright, hold on.” She orders one for him. And it doesn’t take long before the bartender brings it to him. She looks at him, holding one of the glasses. “This one is the Strawberry. We drink together. Ready?”

“I am.” Holding the same flavor she is. They click the glasses together before drinking half of it. He sees her eyes on him, waiting for his reaction. “Oh, it’s very tasty. And not very strong, like you said.”

She smiles, relieved. “Yeah, but that’s the catch. It’s tasty and sweet and not strong and all and it makes you drink like water and boom, you find yourself drunk. Or at least a little tipsy.”

He watches her grin as she finishes the drink. Rekkles felt hooked. The dim light of the club is making a perfect contrast with her skin. Her long dark hair with those beautiful brown eyes staring right back at him. Yeah, he was hooked alright.

“I’m okay with tipsy” he breaths, drinking the rest of his drink and leaning a little closer to her.

She slowly nods, and for a split of a second he thinks he might have said something wrong, but then she smiles and grabs another glass. “Well then, here is for being tipsy and... the usual.”

He follows her lead and grabs the second glass with the same flavor. “Cheers.”

“So, which one is it?”

“Oh, I... I don’t know. I think this one it’s the Cranberry.”

She chuckles, shaking her head. “No, not that.” He gives her a confused look. “Why did you come here today? Flirt, dance or hook up?”

Rekkles is conflicted. He could lie and tell her some cool line and try his way with a smooth talk, or he could tell her the truth, that he hates clubs but his friends guilted him to come along anyway. He decides for the truth, no point on lying to her anyways.

“None of the above, I guess. I didn’t want to come here today. The whole club scene is not really my thing. But my friends just kind of... made me come along.” He explains, finishing his drink, she nods and does the same.

He waits for her to say something, anything really, to think he is lame or excuse herself to go somewhere else, but she doesn’t. She simply listens and nods. So, he decides to go for it. Not the half-truth, but the whole truth.

“As soon as I got here, I spotted you. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you... still can’t.” He confesses. His heart racing when he notices she is taken aback by his confession. His eyes unable to leave hers, searching and wanting more. He wants to lean closer and kiss her.

“Mmm,” She hums before holding the last glass. Rekkles closes his eyes for a brief moment, taking in the sound she just made, that little purr that sent goosebumps all over his body. “This one it’s the Rock Melon. My favorite.”

He drinks almost the whole thing in one gulp. She smiles.

“Yeah, it’s definitely the best one.” He tells her.

He put the glass back on the counter and looks at her, to find her looking back at him.

“I saw you coming in.” She says, taking him by surprise.

“What?”

“I saw you coming in the club, with your friends. I saw when you boys were gathered and talking and then... I saw you looking straight at me.” She let out a small laugh, “I tried looking away a few times but, finding your eyes on me every time I looked back at you...”

“Was creepy, I know.”

She shakes her head slowly, “No, it was a lot of things but trust me, creepy wasn’t one.”

Her voice is steady and calm, and almost like a whisper but Rekkles hears it loud and clear. They are so lost on each other’s bubble that neither of them noticed how close they got as the conversation went on.

“I liked the way you were looking at me. And I like the way you are looking at me now. As if I am the only one in here.” She admits.

Rekkles feels his heart pound in his chest. There it is in front of him, this beautiful girl who he immediately had his eyes on since the moment he stepped into this place, and she is telling him she noticed him too. He found himself leaning closer, drowning at her gaze.

He glides out his tongue to _wetten_ _his lips before_ his voice gains the courage to speak, “I don’t see anyone else.” His eyes wandered to her lips and back to her eyes. God, he wants to kiss her.

Their faces are almost touching, her lips slightly parted when he feels her gentle touch on his cheek. She glances over his lips, following the movement her thumb is doing. He brushes his nose on hers, slowly, caring, almost shy... like asking for permission, and she reciprocates by closing her eyes and brushing hers at his.

Before their lips could touch, the bartender’s voice intrudes, “Would you like another one?”

They both sigh gently, with an awkward smile rising on their faces. She pulls back just enough to look at the bartender, recognizing the intrusion and the question. “Yeah, uh,” She gives Rekkles a quick look and he nods in agreement. “Two more, please.”

Once the bartender is gone, her eyes focus on him again.

“Where exactly are you from?” She asks, tilting her head, curiously.

“Sweden. Is my accent that bad?”

“No. I just noticed the accent and got me wondering.” She says calmly. “Do you miss it?”

Rekkles nods “Yeah... sometimes. I mean, my family is there, so... I visit whenever I can but I don’t miss the place all that much.”

“When was the last time you visited?”

“Its been a few months.” His voice is quiet. He is playing with her fingers now, lacing them together or pressing the fingertip gently. It makes her smile.

The bartender came back with the drinks. “Here you go. Enjoy!”

“You mentioned clubs aren’t really your thing.” She says, changing the topic. He raises his head, nodding. “What do you do when you want to have fun? Or... relax?”

He thinks about the question for a second. He could say he plays League of Legends, but, that’s pretty much his job now. He thinks about the things he does when he needs a break from it, from all the pressure the game gives him.

“I guess... I watch movies. Go to the gym. I go to new places with my friends. Or visit my family.”

“This is a new place with your friends” She points out.

He chuckles. “Yeah, but I meant museums, galleries, zoos, restaurants...”

“What was the last movie you watched?”

“Hmm... the new ones?”

“No, any movie. The last one you watched.”

“Alien Covenant, after watching the whole saga, of course.”

“Of course.” She laughs.

“What about you?”

“The last one I watched was an old one, Detroit Rock City.”

“I don’t know that one...”

“It’s kind of a comedy. Four friends are crazy about the band Kiss and they want to go see it, but the mother of one of them is always on his back, forbidding him to go because Kiss is the devil’s music and she is super religious in a crazy way. But they find a way to go anyways...” She blurts out at once making Rekkles grin, obviously amused by the movie.  “I swear, the movie is funny.”

He laughs. “I believe you.”

“Favorite food?” She asked, sipping her drink.

“Salad.” He said. She arched an eyebrow at him, like, _really?_ He sighs, smiling. “Pizza. Or fries...”

“There you go.” She laughs.

“Your turn.”

“Oh, hmm.. fries.” He touches his heart, nodding proudly, “and a steak, to go with those fries!”

He laughed out loud. “That sounds perfect, to be honest.”

“Favorite super power?”

“Oh.. that’s a hard one.”  She nods, taking another sip of her drink, and he does the same. “It’s not really a favorite, but if I could have one, I would like to not have to sleep.”

She widens her eyes in surprise “Seriously?”

“Yeah... I feel like my days are too short and I can’t do everything I want to do.”

“And what is it that you wanna do it so badly that you can’t take an 8h rest?”

“It’s not like that... is just… wish I could spend my time being awake doing things instead of being asleep. You know?”

She chuckles. “Yeah, I know.”

“What’s your favorite super power?”

She grins and quickly answers. “Mystique’s.”

Rekkles sudden stops while drinking, in surprise, and laughs. “That was fast.”

“I always liked her... being able to be, literally, anyone else. Or a better version of myself, I guess...” She trails off.

Rekkles watches her as she explains why she wants Mystique’s power, yet, he doesn’t quite understand why. Her smile now was partially gone, part of her long hair gently falling on the side of her face while she stares at the glass lost in thoughts.

He feels the urge to comfort her somehow, to tell her she doesn’t need to be somebody else, that the person in front of him is beautiful. Before he could stop himself, his hand tugs her hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her neck as his body once again find its way closer to her, his eyes searching hers, he rests his forehead on hers.

“Better version? You’re perfect as it is.” He says before kissing her.

The kiss is gentle, sensual and slow, tasting sweet like the drink they both had. He feels her hands on his waist pulling him closer as he deepens the kiss. Fuck, he wishes he could do this all the time.

“Uhn. Excuse me. Hi.” Someone says, touching Rekkles’s shoulder.

Rekkles jumps on the contact breaking the kiss, he turns his face to find sOAZ standing two feet away with an apologetic look. “Sorry Martin, but we are heading out.”

“Already?” He frowns.

“Yeah. We all have an early day tomorrow.” His friend explains.

Rekkles sighs, embracing Chris, who is now with her face buried in his neck. “Okay, gimme a few minutes, yeah?”

sOAZ nods. “We will be outside.”

Rekkles holds her, caressing her back and up to her neck. He smells her hair before he tugs to the side, “I wish I could stay longer...” He whispers in her ear.

It takes a moment until she answers. “Me too.” She admits, now resting her forehead on his again.

He watches her smile and shakes her head slowly. “What?”

“You didn’t wanna come and now you don’t wanna leave...” She points out.

He grins, “I guess I will have to thank my friend for being a good wingman and introducing us,” He says and his grin grows as he pulls away a few inches to look at her, “and I’m definitely thanking you, for making today a very special night for me.”

“Really? Thanking me, huh?” She arched an eyebrow, “And how do you plan on thank–”

This is how Rekkles planned on thanking her. Meeting her lips for a long and expressive kiss. The way they tasted together was a flavor he would never grow sick of, the softness of her tongue against his and the urgency of his kiss and the way she was kissing him back, was the road to eternal bliss.

He is getting better at this. Kissing her. Rekkles cups her face with his hands gently, “I wanna see you again”

She grins, timidly. Her hands around his waist, reacting, pulling him closer. “Yeah?”

He nudges his nose on hers, ever so gently before kissing her again, one, two times, then he nods his head, “Yeah.” He breathes in her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

 

The drive back was quiet, something Rekkles was glad about it. He wasn’t really in the right mood to small talk with his team right now, and in all honesty, his mind was elsewhere. Remembering Chris’s face, her little cute smile and genuine laugh, the color of her eyes, her lips... how sweet they were, how soft they felt... –

“So, how was it?”

sOAZ pokes his arm. Rekkles didn’t even realize they left the car and were already heading into the house. He tries his best to contain what he is feeling. For once in his life, he was feeling light, he was feeling overjoyed. He couldn’t remember when was the last time he felt this way over someone. All the images from moments ago rushed back in his mind.

“Good.” He says, not looking at his friend.

“ _Good_?” sOAZ mocks.

sOAZ is about to let it go when he sees Rekkles’s face. “You wouldn’t be blushing and smirking that much if it was just _good_ , man. So, spill it.”

He looks at his friend and considers what to say. What could he say, anyway? Didn’t feel quite right to give any detail but considering this was sOAZ, the person responsible for his lucky night, he had to kill his friend’s curiosity.

“She’s amazing. I got her number and she agreed on seeing me again.” He finds himself smiling as the words come out of his mouth. “Soon.”

“That’s great, man. I was feeling bad for throwing to the lions like that... but I had to do something!”

“Thank you for that, by the way.”

“It’s all good and dandy but,” sOAZ looks around to see the rest of the team already heading to their rooms, “dating can be a distraction that you don’t wanna have right now.”

He knew this. Fnatic comes first. Winning Worlds is his priority. But he didn’t plan this. He didn’t plan on meeting Chris.

He grabs a small bottle of water in the fridge and leans at the kitchen counter. He sighs. “I know.”

“Does she know what we do?”

“No, we didn’t talk much about personal things... I mean, we talked but was mostly about silly things. I wasn’t expecting anything to happen tonight, but then we kissed and I didn’t want it to stop.” Rekkles shakes his head, conflicted and yet amazed with what happened.

His friend grins at the memory of what he saw back at the club. He looks at Rekkles and shakes his head as well, amused. He liked this version of Rekkles. The version where he let himself smile and forget his responsibilities. Even if it is for a short while.

“Jesus Christ, Martin. You are in trouble, my friend.” He laughs and pat Rekkles in the back before heading to his room, leaving Rekkles with his thoughts.

He takes his phone out from his pocket; his finger hovers over her name on the screen. Too soon to call, right? Shit. What the fuck was happening to him? It hasn’t been an hour since he left the club. Of course, it’s too soon.

“Before I forget,” Rekkles looks away from his phone and see sOAZ handing him his phone, “I took this before we had to leave.”

On the screen, is a photo of Rekkles talking to Chris at the bar, looking at each other with big smiles on their faces, they were clearly enjoying each other’s company.

“You are a goddamn ninja, you know that?” He was thankful, and quite frankly, impressed with his friend who had managed to capture a perfect moment between him and Chris. “Why did you?” he asks, with curious eyes. “Take the photo, I mean.”

sOAZ laughs, “I needed a backup plan in case you were mad at me for doing what I did. The photo was to prove that what I did was worth it. I didn’t even give much attention to it until I checked it again, just now.”

Rekkles doesn’t say anything, his eyes still watching the screen, mesmerized.

“It’s a good photo.” sOAZ says, softly.

Rekkles slowly nods, giving the phone back to his friend. “Send it to me, please?”

sOAZ nods and walks away, once again. After a few seconds, the photo pops up on Rekkles’s phone. He turns off the lights from the kitchen and walks over to his room. Takes a sip of his water before setting down on his nightstand.

He sits down on his bed, looking at his phone again. The photo full sized on the screen. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to gather all the extra courage he feels it’s needed. He quickly types the message and hit send, before he could change his mind.

 **Martin** : _My friend took this of us. I thought you should have it too._

He looks at the text one last time before putting the phone away. He gets up to undress, to wash his face and brush his teeth. He walks back to the room and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes for a second, letting his body rest.

His phone vibrates on the nightstand and his eyes flutter open, his arm reaches for the phone.

 **Chris** : _Thank you for sending me. I loved it. Looks beautiful._

Rekkles smiles. _Yes, you do._ He fights the urge to say. He desperately wants to keep talking to her, to keep her talking. He wasn’t ready yet for this night to be over. He didn’t know what else to say, so he went for the short and simple.

 **Martin** : _Yes, it is._

 **Chris** : _I just realized you did two out of three today. You owe me a dance._

He stares at the message with the smile still lingering on his lips. 

 **Martin** : _I’m a terrible dancer, I’m afraid._

 **Chris** : _I can help you... that way you can thank me again._

 **Martin** : _Deal_.

 _Can’t believe this is actually happening._ His smile grows wider as he rests his phone on his chest. He starts making plans and goes over his options in his head for the places he could take her, the things they could do, places they could visit... but also have the time to practice, to stream, to study tactics with his team, to prepare for Worlds.

Rekkles lay there silently, wondering how is he suppose to sleep when he feels wide awake.

 

 

Rekkles wakes up hearing voices coming from outside his room. Takes him a few minutes to open his eyes and look around to see the curtain open, letting the bright morning light invade his room. He checks what time it is on his phone, 9:22 am. He usually wakes up around 8 am but hey, he had a long night.

He goes to the bathroom for a quick shower to help him wake up. He picks some clothes to wear and he continues to hear the voices outside, followed by a lot of laughter. _The house is alive_ , he thinks to himself. It makes him smile. Everybody was probably already gathered in the living room. _Good_. He likes when the team is in good mood like this.

He opens his door and walks towards the laughs coming in the living room.

“What... are you guys doing?” Rekkles slowly asks, amused by what he is witnessing. His teammates in very compromised positions, playing Twister. _He hopes_.

“This game sucks!” Caps said, almost completely underneath Jesiz.

“It was _your_ idea!”

“Yeah well, mistakes were made, okay?” Caps huffs.

Rekkles makes his breakfast, some scrambled eggs were still warm in the pan and some juice from the fridge.

Broxah spins the board, who’s already grinning like a kid in a candy store. “Paul, left foot - green.”

A chuckle comes from Rekkles as he makes his way to the counter to enjoy his breakfast. “Seriously, Paul? How did that happen?”

sOAZ looks at Rekkles with an annoyed look. “I fell right into a trap! That’s how.”

“I only asked if you wanted to play...” Caps says, defensively.

“I didn’t know it was twister!”

“You agreed. Can’t take it back.” Caps teases, laughing.

sOAZ shots another look in Rekkles direction. “Mistakes were made on all sides.”

“Move it, Paul. I can’t stay in this position forever!” Jesiz complains.

Broxah watches sOAZ get into position before announcing again. “Rasmus, left hand - yellow.”

“Oh for the love of God...”

“Careful with that hand, fella!”

Broxah looks at Rekkles, “You wanna play, Martin?”

He laughs almost choking with his juice. “Hell no.” He grabs his phone, “But I would like to do this...” He stands up from his seat and set the camera at the right angle.

“What are you... don’t, please don’t do it!” Jesiz begs, but it was too late.

“Oh but I did. This will be on every social media I can think of...” Rekkles says going back into his spot at the counter.

“Jesse, right foot - red,” Broxah announces again.

“Christ...”

“Next time, Martin picks the game,” sOAZ informs the group.

Raising his eyebrow, Rekkles grins. “League of Legends.”

“And when we need a break from League?” Caps asks.

“Definitely not Twister.”

The game went on for a while until they all had enough from that amusement torture. Rekkles thought about playing a few matches, to maybe save the rest of the morning but he decided to stay with his teammates. They stayed joking around and talking about the matches they had before Rekkles woke up. The random players and their behaviors. It often made him sad. The only bad thing about playing League of Legends, especially when you soloq, is to have to deal with 9 different people. Sometimes, the 4 random in your team are the real enemy.

Lunchtime went through rather fast. He decided to watch some tv and spend some lazy time with his teammates and before even noticing it was already late in the afternoon. Once the movie was over everyone scattered to do their own thing.

He walked over Dylan’s, who seemed to be lost in thought in his office space.

“Hey.” Rekkles calmly says.

“Hey.” Dylan smiles.

“What you doing?”

“Just making some notes for practice later on. Finlay called for a meeting this evening, I already told everybody.” He leans back down in his chair, obviously feeling tired from being there for so long.

“He’s stepping out?”

“Only for a few weeks. Its temporary, he assured me.”

“Who’s gonna take his place?” Rekkles asks, crossing his arms.

“That’s what the meeting is about. He already got someone.”

“Who is it?” He presses, curiously.

“We will find out this evening, I guess.”

Rekkles didn’t like sudden changes, especially so close to the tournament. But he trusts Finlay, and he wouldn’t pick just anyone. Whoever this person is, will do the job just fine.

He nods and leaves Dylan to finish his work in privacy. He finds the whole team on their computers, some of them were still playing, others just talking. He decided to jump in for a few more games.

A few hours later, Dylan’s voice filled the room.

“Everybody move to the meeting room. Finlay is here.”

One by one they got up from their seats once the games finished. Rekkles grabs his phone, put his cap on and follow his friends to the meeting room. He sees Dylan at the end of the hall, shaking hands with someone before entering the room. A woman. Her long hair reminded him of... Chris.

Chris?

No.

No no no.

The team doesn’t seem to notice her presence just yet, as they all entered the room talking to themselves, completely distracted. Rekkles stays in the hall. He watches her check something on the phone before meeting his gaze.

Rekkles is frozen. Can’t move. He sees her walking towards him and he can’t fucking move. He wants to just leave and pretend this is just a prank or a sick joke.

Her eyes, full with concern as she walks closer. “Martin–“

“You’re gonna be the new manager.” He interrupts her.

“Yeah.” She nods with anguish eyes.

“Did you know about this when we met?”

“No!”

“Did you know who I was?”

She pauses, sighing. “I recognized you, yes. But all I knew about you was that you were a professional player.”

“You should’ve told me.”

“What for? It wouldn’t change anything, Martin.”

“You should’ve told me!” He repeats, in anger.

“I didn’t know I was going to be working here with you. I found out today.”

Rekkles close his eyes, shaking his head and sighing heavily, brushing his fingers at his temple.

“Martin–“ She tries again, softly.

“Oh, there you are. I see you already met Chris. She’s going to stay with us while I’m away.” Finlay interrupts them, unaware of what’s happening between them. “Come on, everyone is waiting inside.”

Finlay basically drags her with him to the room leaving Rekkles alone in the hall but following them a moment later. He stands in the back, not even bothering to sit down.

“Okay guys, here is the thing. I will have to step away for a few weeks, due some family issues. It's nothing serious but, I can’t take the change of something serious happen and I’m not there.” Finlay starts to explain, then turns to Chris, “This is Chris. She will be here in my place taking care of things. So please, treat her with the same respect as you treat me and give her a warm welcome.” His hand goes to her shoulder, pulling her closer to a polite and caring embrace.

sOAZ shot an urgent look at Rekkles as they clap to the news, but Rekkles continues to stare what’s in front of him.

Chris cleans her throat, “I know this is sudden and very close to Worlds, but Finlay already filled me in about a lot of things and we will be in touch... like, every other day, yeah?”

“Yeah, she can find me if there’s an emergency, but other than that, you are on your own, kid.”

She smiles, “Right. Working here will definitely be a challenge for me,” She says, meeting Rekkles stare, “I know what to do and how to do it, but having Finlay’s insight will definitely help me a lot. He also gave me some directions on some of the team’s preferences and requests, but I wanted to ask anyway, there’s anything I should give some special attention to it.”

Caps raise his hand. “Uh, yeah, some fresh orange juice for me, please.”

The team laughs, “Oh my God, enough with the juice!”

“The juice is on the top of the list, Rasmus, don’t worry.”

When the meeting is over, Caps, Broxah and Jesiz go to shake her hand to officially meet her. Chris gives Rekkles a sad look, almost pleading him to understand the situation, before heading out with Finlay, still talking over some last-minute details.

sOAZ approach Rekkles with caution. “So, that happened.”

Rekkles expression is still cold. His voice harsh. “How will this even work? I can’t be involved with someone who works with us!”

“She didn’t say anything to you?”

“No! She said she found out today.” He looks at his friend, reacting for the first time since he saw her here.

“You don’t believe her?”

He sighs. “I don’t know... I’m- I’m not sure. She knew who I was, Paul. At the club.”

“But not about this?”

“No.”

“Then I wouldn’t worry about it so much.” sOAZ says, calmly. Rekkles frown at him, “Martin... it’s not like she stalked and have posters of you all over her room. The odds of someone knowing who you are, are fairly high. You are a professional player. Your face is almost a brand for Fnatic.”

sOAZ tries to lighten the mood but fails miserably. Rekkles keeps staring at the ground with his arms crossed over his chest. What was he supposed to do now?

“I suggest you two talk it out because will be nearly impossible to avoid her from now on.” sOAZ says, basically reading Rekkles’s mind.

 

 

There’s a knock on the door, making them both jump in surprise. “Can I have a word with you?” Chris asks, looking at Rekkles.

sOAZ watches his friend, waiting for some kind of reaction to her request. After a moment, Rekkles nods and sOAZ make his way out the door, giving them privacy.

She walks in, keeping a safe distance from him, not wanting to invade his personal space. “I don’t want this to become a problem.” She says, her voice weak.

He lets out an exasperated chuckle, looking at her. “Too late, don’t you think?”

There’s a knot at the back of her throat, she wants to explain, wants to make that frown on his face disappear. She wants to touch his face again and make everything better. The words don’t come out.

“Is that all? I want to practice some more before I call it a night.” Rekkles snaps.

Still unable to say another word to him, she simply nods, breaking his gaze. It takes him a moment to actually move away. A moment that probably took too long, in his mind took forever but was probably less than a few seconds.

When he finally starts to walk away, he stops at the door, “You know... when I said I wanted to see you again, this wasn’t what I had in mind.” His voice breaks in a whisper.

She turns to look at the door, but he was already gone.

“Me neither.” She replies to the empty room.


	3. Chapter 3

Rekkles woke up next morning still feeling upset with the situation. It wasn’t the end of the world, he knew that, he just met Chris, like... two days ago, there was no reason for him to feel this way.

Then why was he feeling this way?

The only sound in the house right now was him making his breakfast. _Where’s everyone?_ He checks his phone, almost texting sOAZ when his friend appeared in the kitchen, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

“Hey,” sOAZ says, sounding lazy.

“Hey.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Rekkles says, setting a place for two glasses and plates at the kitchen counter. “The house is not usually this quiet.”

sOAZ yawns. “I saw Mads leaving for the gym when I woke up... but I’m not sure about what the others are doing.”

Seeing how lazy sOAZ is right now made him chuckle. He should probably hit the gym too sometime soon, but his mood isn’t helping his case. He filled the glasses with orange juice and starts buttering the toasts. “How long have you been up?”

“Not long... 20, maybe 30mins ago.”  He sips his juice.

Rekkles finishes making the sandwiches and moves over to the living room to watch some tv as they eat. There’s nothing really good on at this time of day, besides cartoons. Which doesn’t sound so bad, right about now.

“So, uh,” sOAZ says quietly, “What happened? Did you talk to her?”

Rekkles closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the night before. “No.” He looks at his friend, “I was going to, I,... she wanted to, I think, but I just... couldn’t. I didn’t wanna hear it.”

“You two need to figure this out...”

“I know.” Rekkles nods, turning to the tv again. He knew sOAZ was right. Even though the situation was bothering him, he didn’t want to face Chris just yet. He didn’t want to face the fact she is now part of the team, sort of.

“Do you want to League for a bit? No rank, just normal matches to pass time.” sOAZ suggests, after a few minutes.

“Yeah,” Rekkles look at his friend once again and grins, a small and weak grin, but it’s there. “After the cartoon is over?”

 

 

They spent the next few hours playing League. Most games were fairly easy, but this one game in particular was tilting sOAZ, badly. Rekkles knew how easy it was to tilt him, but there’s not much he could do about it besides trying to calm him during the match or help his lane, which was close to impossible considering he is the ADC and sOAZ were across the map at top lane. It's not like he could leave bot lane and duo with sOAZ.

After laning phase, the team fights were good, sOAZ got some kills, which helped him to catch up and get more items done. But was too late. The game got the point where if you die, you spend close to a fucking minute down. In a late game team fight, the midlaner decided to jump in and start a fight that no one was ready for, taking the support and jungler with him.

Defeat.

“Fucking Yasuo players, man...” sOAZ lamented.

“ _Face the wind!!_ ” Rekkles teased, imitating Yasuo’s voice.

“Yeah, _Face the report Ima send for unskilled player_ , it’s more likely.” sOAZ rants. “I couldn’t farm. I couldn’t kill him. That stupid wall. That champion doesn’t die right!”

Rekkles laughs. “I know. It wasn’t that bad though. If it wasn’t for that last fight, we would’ve won, I think.”

sOAZ stare at the match status. “Yeah, I guess. We had the lanes controlled and everything.”

“Mhm.”

 

They were debating starting another match when they heard the front door open, and all the voices that were missing before now filled the house.

Broxah was the first one to appear in the living room. “She kicked your ass. Period.”

“I got second place,” Chris said, appearing right behind him. 

“Only because you had to stay behind to babysit him!” Broxah laughs, pointing at Caps.

“She wasn’t babysitting me!”

“Are you okay? You seem a little flushed there...” Dylan calmly says, entering the room in last.

“Shut up”

Rekkles notices how tired and sweaty they all were. Were they all together? How- When did this happen?

Chris meets his gaze. “Hey.”

God, she looks beautiful. Her hair in a ponytail and sweaty bangs behind her ear. When Rekkles didn’t answer sOAZ takes the lead.

“Hey. What you guys been up to?”

Caps immediately points to Broxah. “He dragged me out for a run...”

“You didn’t run. You crawled.” Broxah pointed it out.

“ _It will be fun_ \- he said.” Caps mocks.

“And we end up bumping into Chris and Dylan,” Broxah explains.

Dylan smiles, clearly amused. “She kept Rasmus from collapsing.”

“You need to work on your cardio, Rasmus,” Chris says, putting her hand on his shoulder. Rekkles found himself frowning.

“Yeah, I guess...”

“You guess? You didn’t last 2mins straight. That’s a cry for help.” Broxah tells him.

Chris laughs softly, looking back at Caps. “You don’t usually work out? Like at all? Going for a run or anything like that?”

“Not really” Caps pouts.

Dylan nods. “That explains a lot...”

“Look, we could meet every morning and go for a run,” Chris suggests.

sOAZ watches Rekkles frown again. He clearly didn’t like the idea of Caps spending time with Chris, or any of them spending time with her, if that matter.

“You will have your own personal trainer, Rasmus, it can’t get any better than that.” Broxah mused.

“You don’t have to do that...” Caps says, a little shy.

“I know. But I will be running anyway, so, you can join me if you want.” She offers. “Just make sure to have a decent breakfast before you leave.”

Rekkles moves away to the kitchen, annoyed with the little deal Caps and Chris seemed to have made just now.

sOAZ clean his throat, “You guys need to go clean up. I can smell all of you from here.”

Broxah and Caps laughed and left to their rooms, “Yeah, uh... I should go too. Clean up.” Chris looks at Rekkles still in the kitchen and then to sOAZ, with an expression he couldn’t quite figure it out.

Rekkles watched Dylan walk Chris to the door. They stayed talking for a few minutes, and their giggles turned into more serious expression. What could she possibly have to talk with Dylan about? They both checked their phones. Why? Curiosity was taking the best of him.

“Stop staring.”

sOAZ voice made him jump. “I’m not...”

Rekkles looks away, trying his best to focus anywhere else but the door. But he fails, miserably. When he glances back at the door, Chris is looking back at him. She looked sad. Concerned. He didn’t like that. He didn’t want her sad. He saw Dylan give her a piece of paper before saying goodbye and walking back towards the living room.

“You guys have the rest of the morning free. So, relax now because, after lunch, we will be practicing until evening.”

“Okay.” Rekkles nods.

“Let’s watch some tv,” sOAZ says.

 

 

Next day Rekkles was up with the birds. Six a.m. sharp. Took his breakfast and went to League, a couple of normal matches to distract himself wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t even notice the others waking up or joining him at the desk. Or leave for the gym, or stay in the living room to watch tv. He completely zoomed out everything that was happening around him.

After a few hours, he left his computer and went to the couch to join the others. Not much for the conversation because he had no idea what was going on, but he liked the company. He liked having people talking and laughing and having a good time.

“Hi, guys.” Chris gently announced herself to the group, who were all talking among themselves in the living room. Rekkles, who was completely distracted on his phone, looked away from the screen to see her standing there, as cute as she could possibly be, carrying all those bags.

“Hey!” they greeted her.

“I, uh, let myself in. Finlay gave me the keys. That’s okay, right?” She asks, little embarrassed.

“Of course it is.” Dylan smiles, standing up to meet her and help her with the bags.

She followed Dylan to the table. “Did you guys eat yet? I brought lunch.”

One by one, the boys got up from the couch and gathered at the table. “You got here just in time. We were having problems deciding what to order...” Jesiz said.

“What did you get us?” Caps look curiously through the bags making Chris smile.

“I think I went a little overboard because I wasn’t sure about everyone’s preference. But I got Chinese food, some salad, some rice, meat, fries and a few other things.” She says pointing to the food in each bag. Rekkles watches her be pretty satisfied with herself about all the food in front of her. Her expression was a lot at ease than yesterdays. “Come on, let's open everything.”

Rekkles smiles. “I will get the plates.”

“I get the drinks.” Broxah followed.

Lunch went smoothly. Dylan was sitting next to Chris, followed by sOAZ, Rekkles, Jesiz, Broxah and Caps. Everybody chatting with each other and sharing the food. From time to time Rekkles and Chris would try to get some fries at same time, making them share a shy smile between them. It made him think about the bar and the whole food conversation... and he was positive by the look on her face, she was thinking the exact same thing.

Rekkles was across the table, almost in front of Chris. He wasn’t sure if it happened intentionally, all he knew was that he liked watching her. Though, sitting next to her would be a lot better. Caps had that privileged. Seemed like they were getting along pretty well. He met her for another run early in the morning, and he heard Chris saying he handle it the run a lot better this time. Maybe Caps was trying to impress her. He frowns momentarily, he didn’t wanna think about that. He couldn’t even blame Caps either, he seemed smitten by Chris.

“Do you League, Chris?” Caps suddenly asks, quietly. The question made Rekkles focus on Chris.

“I do.” She says, in same quiet tone.

Caps eyes widen, and the whole table now seems to pay attention to the conversation. “Yeah? For real?”

Chris chuckles, taking a sip from her coca-cola. “You don’t have to sound so damn surprised”

“I’m sorry, it’s just... not that common to find a girl who plays.” He explains.

Broxah nods and asks, “What role do you play, Chris?”

“Midlaner–” She replies.

Caps immediately reacts. “Yeeeeess!”

She laughs and continues, “And support. But mostly, mid lane.”

“What champions do you play?”

“Well... I’m one of those, what you guys call it? Hmm.. one trick pony, type of player.”

“You normally play just one champion? Which one?”

“Heimerdinger.” She confesses.

Caps smile grows wider. “I never thought I’d meet a donger player.”

Chris cracks up a sweet laughter, clearly amused by his comment. Rekkles watch the whole thing with a bitter taste in his mouth. Why was he making her laugh like that? He felt like jumping into the conversation but how? Everyone in this table could talk to her and spend time with her but not him. He couldn’t. They didn’t have this thing pending with her that they didn’t know quite how to fix it yet. And that was making him feel uneasy. Making him feel mad.

Making him feel jealous. _Fuck my life_. Jealous of Caps. That’s all I needed.

Maybe how he felt was starting to show because he heard sOAZ voice next to him, “What made you pick Heim?”

“When I first started I used to play Annie, but I was a bad player, my CS sucked and I was never any good with her. Then one day I saw a video of this guy playing Heim and as soon as I tried him, I fell in love with the champion. I have been with him since season 3.” She explains. “I do play other champions, but I always feel like I’m not doing any good.”

“What other champions?” Caps asks.

“Ziggs or Cassiopeia would be my safest bet. But I can Ryze and Veigar too.” She tells him, a little apprehensive, but he smiles.

“I like your choices.” He says and she smiles back.

“What rank are you?” Dylan asks softly.

Chris shake her head. “I don’t have any rank.”

“What?!” Most of them said at the same time.

sOAZ asks, curiously. “How come?”

“I don’t know... I just, never been around to do it. When I log to play it is usually with friends and just for fun.” She shrugs.

Caps moves a bit and take his phone from his pocket. “What’s your summoner’s name, Chris?”

Chris rose an eyebrow at him, intrigued with why he was asking that but just smiled and told him the nickname. He quickly typed it at the screen.

“What supports do you play?” Jesiz wanted to know.

“Oh, uh,...I guess it depends on my ADC.” She gave Rekkles a quick glance, he was still fully focused on everything she was saying. “But my favorite supports are Nami, Sona or Rakan, sometimes Janna. I have lvl7 in all of them. I’m trying to learn Talm Kench now, though.”

“You have very interesting picks, for both lanes. Talm is a very different champion from the healers you play.” Jesiz shares his opinion.

“Yeah, my friend always has a blast when he plays him. So, I thought I’d give it a try.”

“If you have any question, let me know.” He offers. She nods, smiling.

Caps lower his phone and look at her completely stunned. “Chris, your kda is better than mine...”

“Well, that doesn’t take much.” sOAZ tease.

“No, I mean, seriously.” He takes his phone again to look at the site, “Her kda of 4.9.”

sOAZ takes Caps phone to check it and nods. Showing it to Rekkles, “Impressive.” He says.

Chris feels goosebumps and butterflies all over her body. It’s been the first time he said something to her directly since that day at the meeting room. She gives him a warm and shy smile. “Thank you.”

“Chris, we have to 1v1.” Caps blurt out.

“Uh. No, we don’t.” She quickly replied.

“Uh, yes we do.”

“Uh, no we–“

“Awn come on! 1v1 meee.”

She sighs. “What would that prove? I’m pretty sure you can beat me.”

He moves his chair back a little, sitting at the edge of his seat. “We don’t know that. I just want to see your game style. And I promise not to ban Heim. Or play Syndra.” He grins.

“Don’t worry. Syndra’s got nothing on me, kid.” She grins back.

“So, you agree?”

 _No!_ Rekkles’s mind screamed at Caps, over and over. He felt his jealousy rising up. Now he was going to play League with her?

“Yeah fine. Just say when...”

“When!” He beamed, getting up from his seat.

_NO!!_

“Wait, what? You mean now?” She says, but Caps is already walking towards his desk.

Dylan chuckles getting up from his seat too. “Oh, this will be fun.”

“You can use my computer,” Broxah says, before leaving the table with Jesiz. Leaving sOAZ and Rekkles alone at the table with her.

Chris sighs, amused. “I already regret this.”

“You know, Heim is one of the weakest champions in League.” Rekkles fires at her, his voice cold.

She froze. She looks at sOAZ, who was already staring at Rekkles, before facing him. “Excuse me?” She slowly asks. 

He knew he was making a mistake, but he couldn’t stop himself. He felt so mad. He wanted to stop her from spending time with Caps. “He has no mobility, no scape, no nothing...”

“And yet, I’ve killed many cocky ADCs who tried to jump on me.” She fires back. He arched an eyebrow like he was about to say something else but stays silent. “Look, I’m the first to admit he is not the best champion compared to the meta ones. But I feel comfortable with him, you know? My farm is good with him. The turrets protect me and are good for pushing lanes, my kda is what it is because of him.” She explains, and Rekkles hates the fact even though he attacked her, her voice towards him was still gentle.

“Maybe you should try–” He starts saying but Caps interrupts him.

“Chris, come on, everything is ready.” Caps yells from the desk.

“I’m doing just fine as it is, Martin.” She says as she pushes the chair back.

Rekkles was mad, but unjustifiably so. He was being unfair and acting like a child. But the words came out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Most people send me a ‘thank you’ note when I give them advice.”

Chris stands up. Rekkles was sure she was gonna lose her temper and put him in his place like he deserved it. But she chuckled.

“Oh, you want a ‘thank you’ note for an advice I didn’t ask for? Okay. Yeah. I can do that.”

She walks over her bag that was placed close to the kitchen counter, it takes her a second to come back with a note on her hand. She leans close to him, putting the note on the table close to his hand.

“Here is your note.” She whispers in his ear.

Rekkles watches her walk to the desk to meet the rest of the group. Slowly, he opens the note - _Fuck You_.

He grins and sOAZ laughs. “There’s no F in Thank you” he points out.

When Rekkles doesn’t say anything he just shook his head, desperately trying to understand what the fuck just happened. “What on earth were you trying to do?”

Rekkles only response was a heavy sigh.

“Giving her a hard time. Insulting her favorite champion. Why?”

 _Because I’m an idiot and I was jealous over nothing._ “I don’t know.” He lies.

“You are upset with her and I get that. Believe me, _she_ gets it too. But whatever it is you are trying to do... won’t work. Not like this.”

 

 

sOAZ leaves Rekkles alone to his thoughts to join the rest of the group, who were about to start the 1v1. Rekkles hated when sOAZ was right. He had no reason to be jealous. It’s not like she was interested in Caps, it was not like the boys had a thing for her either, they were just excited to get to know her, to spend time with her, like the normal feeling when you meet someone new. And even more, now knowing she actually plays our favorite game, it basically made her the perfect girl to be around.

If he wanted to spend time with her he had to fix what was pending between them. They needed to talk about what happened.

He stood up from the chair as he puts the note in his pocket and slowly walked over the group, standing next to sOAZ.

“Okay so, what are the rules here?” She asked, logging into the game and accepting the match invitation Caps sent.

“The rules are,” Caps says, looking at her “There are. No. Rules!” he faked an evil laugh as he said it making Chris laugh. She poked his arm gently.

“Alright, shut up,” Broxah said. “Play it like it was a real game. Farm and poke, and maybe get a kill in the process. The game will go up to 3 whole items, then we stop to compare. Fair?” he proposed.

Chris and Caps shared a look, both nodded agreeing to the terms. “Fair.” They both said.

They didn’t use the headset since everyone was in the same room. “I’m a little nervous.” She murmurs.

Rekkles fought the urge to comfort her. But, again, he couldn’t. This was fucking killing him.

“With your kda, I should be the one nervous.” Caps admits.

She looks at him. “But you’re not.”

“I am” He grins. “But this isn’t to prove anything. I really just want to know how you play. Okay?”

She takes a deep breath. “Okay.”

The game loads and everybody fell quiet. Chris was with Heim and Caps picked Malzahar. They both focused on farming at first, but it didn’t take long for Caps to get impatience. Right after the second skill, he tries to go after her, but the turrets hurt him quite a bit. By the third skill, he tries again with no luck. Their farm is the same. Even with all the poke, she is able to keep up with his farm.

Rekkles takes this time to look at her with adoration. How serious and alert she is while playing. He wondered how would it be having her as his support. The thought made him smile.

Caps tries again to poke her down but this time he succeeds. He killed her under the tower, scaping with very low health. If the tower was to hit him again, he would most definitely die too.

Caps 1 x 0 Chris.

She doesn’t get mad, he sees her smile and says something to Caps he couldn’t quite hear. Chris gets back in the lane and very quickly her farm catches up. Patiently waiting for her ult. But before that happens Caps tries again. He pokes her down and goes for the kill.

What would seem to be another kill for Caps, turned out to be a rushed mistake. Chris baited Caps, a risky bait in Rekkles’s opinion, but it worked. The moment Caps chased for another attack, Chris landed the stun, all 3 turrets fired up plus her missiles.

She hears everyone react with how close the fight was. Her health was low at the end due all the poke Caps managed to do before going for the attack.

Caps 1 x 1 Chris.

As she walks back in lane, Rekkles feels sOAZ nudging his arm gently to catch his attention.

“She’s not bad, huh?” he mentions.

Rekkles let himself smile and nods, feeling proud to have him say that about her. “Not bad at all.”

Her laughter got his attention back. The jealousy feeling twisting in his gut, but he doesn’t let it show this time. This time he just watches. They were obviously talking about the game, maybe he was giving her advice, or maybe she was teasing him about the score. They were clearly having a good time.

He still wishes it could’ve been with him.

The rest of the team were also joking around and making comments during the plays. Broxah cheered when Chris got the first tower down.

“Alright. Last team fight.” Broxah announced.

They both went back to base to finish their items. The third item was complete. Chris looked at Caps, who were grinning at her.

“Do your best. I’m going all in.” He told her.

“Okay.” She nods.

Maybe was his imagination, but Rekkles could’ve sworn she sounded nervous. Before he could stop himself, he stepped closer to her chair and touched her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

“You got this.” His voice quietly brushes against her ear.

Chris is taken by surprise, but she doesn’t bother turning to look, she knows who it is. She wasn’t expecting Rekkles to show any concerned after what he pulled at the table a few minutes ago.

She takes a deep breath and nods.

She tries to stay close to the tower for protection in case Caps jumps on her, but he’s not getting the bait. She goes down the lane, watching the map, setting the turrets around her. He was under his tower when he spotted her. As soon as that happens, Caps do what he said he would do. He is going all in. He pokes her down, but she’s not setting the turrets down anymore. She let it stack. One. Two. He keeps on poking and pushing her behind. Three turrets stacked.

He pushed her back to the middle of the lane, where it all started. He initiates the attack and everyone goes quiet. Watching the final fight. He uses all skills available to her, and she does the same. He ulted her but she uses zhonyas. She has two turrets on the ground and but when he gets to close she managed to hit the stun on him, using the Ult with missiles on him. Getting the second kill.

“Woooah!” Everybody cheered at the same time.

But Chris is shaking her head seeing her HP going down. “You fucking ignited me?” She asked him.

Caps 2 x 2 Chris.

“Holy shit, that was awesome.” Caps laughs, leaning back in his chair.

“When did you do that?”

“Before you stunned me. When I got close. Everything I had was on cooldown, I got close for the ignite alone.” He grins and he explained.

“Urrg.. damnit.” She says, looking at the screen.

“Close game. Nicely done Chris.” Dylan appears next to her, smiling. She stood up from the chair to find everyone still there, gathered up, talking about the 1v1. She suddenly feels shy with the realization that everyone was actually paying attention to the game.

“You did amazingly well for someone without rank.” Caps mentions, still in his seat.

“Thank you. You didn’t go easy on me... did you?”

“It crossed my mind... but I knew it wouldn’t be an easy lane 5mins in.” He admits.

“She plays super defensive. Is hard to get a kill out of her.” Broxah adds, making Chris chuckle.

“Yeah, my friends say I’m not aggressive enough in lane phase. Like, I do get kills, but is usually in team fights late game. When I get kills early on, is usually when they get bored and jump on me...” She says, amused.

 

 

The group stays talking for a while. Looking at the score and damage. Talking about champions. What works and what doesn’t. Talking about the runes.

A few minutes later Dylan calls out. “Alright, everyone. Settle down and get ready. Time to practice.”

The boys complain and they slowly settle down to get practice started. Chris thanked Broxah for letting her use his computer, also Caps for suggesting the 1v1. She made her way to get her bag that was left by the kitchen. Checking her phone there was one missing call from Finlay and few texts about meetings she had to attend.

She turned and watched the group. Seeing Rekkles talk to sOAZ and Caps. He seemed relaxed even though his face was serious. He had been an ass to her at lunch but then he comforted her during the match. She didn’t understand what was going through his head. It was a little frustrating, to say the least. But given the situation, all she could do was to give him space and wait for the right time to face him and have a real talk like adults.

Putting her jacket on, she waved Dylan goodbye as she headed to the door.

 

 

Chris hasn’t been at the house since the 1v1. Been two days. Though Rekkles knows she is in contact with Caps and the others. Caps is still going for runs in the morning with Broxah and Dylan. Last time he saw her was leaving the house that day, timidly waving goodbye to Dylan. He wanted to tell her how awesome it was to watch her play, even if it was just for a short time. And to apologize for giving her a hard time. No wonder she hasn’t been around as much. He didn’t blame her. Her presence at the house was distracting and now she’s not around, was distracting him even more.

That was getting under his skin more than he would like to admit. They had one night together, how can he miss her this much? He wanted to be able to talk to her, be able to interact with her, to share his time with her, to hang out together... to touch her, smell her, kiss her.

_Fuck. Don’t go there, Martin._

“Yeah yeah, everyone is here.” Dylan’s voice echoed when he enters the room, looking around to find everybody busy doing their own thing. “Yeah, okay. See you soon.” He says to the person on the phone with him.

Rekkles tilt his head, frowning slightly, asking Dylan _what’s up_. Dylan looks at his phone, “Chris is coming over. Uh... she needs us to look over some information. Not sure what’s for but she’s on her way here.”

Everybody tenses a bit, but no one says anything, they just nodded.

Chris arrives in less than 15mins after the call. Rushing into the room with tired eyes. She talks briefly with Dylan before directing her attention to the group in the living room.

“Okay people. Listen. There was an error with Mads ticket for Worlds.” She focuses on Broxah. “Apparently, they thought your name was a typo? So, it said Mac, not Mads. I just spent 2hs arguing with some boy who had no clue how to do his job.” Chris sighs, taking a breath.

She got some papers out of her bag, giving everyone their file. It had all the information from ID, passport, Visa, etc. “I need everyone to double check that for me. I did it but, I would feel much better if you guys did it too. Maybe I overlook something. I can’t have another mistake with another ticket.” She looks at Broxah again. “Your ticket will be fixed. You will have no problem boarding, okay?” She says, almost apologetic.

“I know. It's okay. Wasn’t your fault.” He says.

Seems to lift a heavy weight from her shoulder because her posture was more relaxed now.

“Everything on mine is correct.” Rekkles is the first to speak up. The rest followed, having nothing to complain.

“Okay, good. That’s... good.” She chuckles. “I need to call them again but uh... can I... would it be okay if I set camp here today?” She asks Dylan.

“Yeah, you can use my office space if you want...” he trails off.

“Oh, no. it's your space. I can be out there.” She points to the little space outside. The house had this little cozy porch. Was big enough to fit a small couch and a table. But since it was outdoors, the boys didn’t seem to spend much time there.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, some fresh air will do me good. And out there I won’t bother you guys here with the calls and all that...” She smiles, already walking over the porch before Dylan could convince her to take his office.

 

 

Rekkles noticed she was full work mode. Preoccupied and clearly tired. He wondered if it would be okay to go over there and say hi or to just say ‘I’m here if you need anything’, but she was already on the phone, pacing, arguing with someone.

The rest of the day was a blur. He went League for the most part of the afternoon and evening. He turns off the computer realizing how late it already is. The house is quiet. He checks his phone, there’s a msg from sOAZ.

 **Paul:** _We went out for a while. You were in a match...  
_ **Paul:** _Chris stayed – in case you wanna know_.  
          **Paul:** _Behave. ;)_

Rekkles laughs at his friend msg. But quickly came the realization of what the msg meant. She stayed. She’s here. He suddenly felt nervous. Why was he so nervous? They were both here, alone, in this big house.

He looks around and nothing. The porch door is still closed. She is probably still busy working. He searches for his phone and starts typing a message to her, but then he stops, unsure. He blinks. Once. Twice. The photo of them at the bar is still showing in the chat history. He smiles. The screen goes off after a while. How long was he staring at it? He doesn’t know. He sighs and decides to go to his room.

Its past 11 pm by now and he should be getting ready to go to bed and rest. Yeah. That’s what he needs. A long and good night of sleep. To clean his mind. Again. To focus on what’s important. Worlds is right around the corner. He should be hype, excited, thrilled. But he isn’t. Not yet. Not even close.

His mind wanders through different thoughts, all ending on the same person.

Chris.

He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to clean the air. He wanted to make things right. He wanted _her_.

_Fuck! Do NOT go there, Martin._

In a quick motion, he stood up from his bed and off his room.

_He went there._

He gently opens the door to the porch, trying his best not to disturb her. At first, he didn’t see any sign of her. The table was filled with little notes, along with her laptop and folders with things highlighted, the table was a mess in a non-messy way. Taking a few more steps he spotted Chris laying down on the sofa.

A warm smile grew on Rekkles’s face. Chris as asleep, her phone not far from her hand. Rekkles realized how tired she must’ve been about this whole ticket mixed up thing. The cold breeze blows through the porch, he slowly walks closer reaching for the blanket that is placed at the back of the sofa, to cover her up. He seats at the edge as he pulls the blanket up. His hand felt how cold her skin was. _Why were you outside without your jacket?_ He wonders. She was dressed so casual, with jeans, black baby look shirt and all-stars. If he could, he would definitely give her a hard time about this. _Are you trying to get sick?_

He laughs to himself, shaking his head. When did he become this person? Why his first reaction is to give her a hard time? He ever so gently, try to warm her by caressing her arm. Chris doesn’t move. Her breathing is still steady. He smiles, taking this opportunity to look at her. _Really_ look at her. She was looking so peaceful. He tugs her hair behind her ear, to notice she had 4 different piercings. He found himself smiling yet again.

So many things he didn’t know about her, even small things or silly things, like finding out she has 4 piercings. Does she have another 4 in the other ear? He is tempted to brush his thumb over the little silver stars piercings, but they both jump when her phone ringed.

Her eyes shot open as she went to sitting position, her heart raced when she found herself inches apart from Rekkles’s face.

“What the–”

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay. Your phone is ringing.” Rekkles’s voice is calm.

She blinks a few times, not sure if she’s really awake or not, but she looks at the screen to see Finlay’s name. “Finlay, hi.” Her voice was still a little hoarse.

Rekkles watches her, putting the blanket back up, covering one of her arms.

“No no, I, uh, I just fell asleep.” She waits to hear whatever Finlay have to say and continues. “Yeah, I know. Everything is taken cared of.” She chuckles. “Thank you for checking in.” She gave a Rekkles a quick look, “Uh, about what we talked before–  yeah, okay, just let me know–  Okay, goodnight Finlay.”

She ends the call, putting it away. It takes a second for her to turn and face Rekkles again. His hair was without any product, falling slightly to the side. Big blue eyes staring back at her.

“Hi,” He says, softly.

Her heart is still racing but her voice is just as gentle. “Hi”

They look at each other for the longest time. So much he wants to say but nothing comes out.

“You, uh,... why were you...” She tries to ask.

“I was looking for you.” He simply said. Her eyes widen in surprise. “Found you sleeping, in the cold, without your jacket or anything.” His comment makes her look down on the blanket. “Was trying to keep you warm. That’s when your phone rang.”

She nods, her eyes still low. She arranged the blanket around herself, “Thank you.”

“Why are you out here?” he asked curiously. “You could’ve stayed inside...”

“I had some calls and skype meetings to do and I didn’t want to bother–” she stops and sighs, “I was just trying to get out of your way.”

His heart sinks a little with her words. He hasn’t been fair to her, he knew it, and he needed put an end to it and apologize. But how? He wants to but don’t know how or where to start. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t move away either.

She feels his eyes still on her, pulling her own to meet his gaze. “Why were you looking for me?”

He tilts his head. Trying to figure it out if there was any resentment hidden there somewhere, but didn’t seem to be the case.

“Everyone is out. I was playing... didn’t even notice when they left.” He explains, “I guess we are alone for a while.”

If this was a normal situation, Chris would be pretty pleased to be alone with him. But the big elephant was still in the room. She distances herself from him, positioning herself to stand up. She brings the blanket with her when she does. She gathers the notes and files and everything, shutting down her laptop.

“Did I fucked up so badly that you don’t wanna be alone in a room with me?” He asks, standing up as well. His voice barely a whisper.

She stops what she’s doing to look at him. She opens her mouth like she’s about to say something but she changes her mind. She sighs.

 “Listen, I’ve tried to find someone to fill my place here–”

_Wait. What??_

“No.” He frowns. _Was this what she was talking about with Finlay?_

“but is actually trickier than I thought.”

“No!” He pushed in response.

Chris take the blanket off and throw at the table in frustration. “Then tell me what to do, Martin. Because I don’t know where I stand with you. I’m clearly making you uncomfortable in your own house. I don’t want that. That was never my intention.”

They stare at each other’s eyes, searching for answers to what to do next. Trying to understand how exactly they got here. But this was it. This was the conversation they should’ve had days ago.

He steps closer, involving her back into the blanket.

“You really didn’t know about coming to work with us?” His voice is gentle, there’s no anger in his tone.

“No.” She says, still holding his gaze. “I got a call from Finlay last week saying he needed someone to take his place for a few weeks or a month tops. I didn’t have details or anything, I only knew it was a management job. I said I was free and for him to give me a call for us to meet and go over the details. Everything happened so fast...”

“And that call was the day you came here.”

She nods, “I tried to say no but Finlay was desperate. He didn’t want to leave the team hanging out to dry.”

Everything she was saying made sense.

Her voice is sad when she continues, “I should’ve called you before showing up here. And I should’ve said something that night at the club...” she trails off remembering what happened. “I’m really sorry about that.”

“I know.” He whispers. “Me too.”

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for.” She assures him.

But he did. If he had just talked to her sooner, they could’ve been in good terms, putting his mind at ease and making her job a lot easier. “The way I’ve been acting...” he lets out a sad chuckle. “That’s not who I am. I have been rude to you. I’m sorry. For everything.”

She nods, letting his words sink in. He wanted to reach in and bring her closer, to hug her and say that everything is okay now and they could just forget this whole thing happened. But things weren’t that easy, or simple.

“Let’s go inside.” He says instead.

“Okay.”

 

 

“How is practice going?” She asks, following him to the couch.

“Good but not great, I guess.” He says, looking at her as she sits next to him, her body slightly turned in his direction. “I have been a little distracted.”

She frowns. “Because I was here?”

“Because of the situation.” He clarifies. Leaning back on the couch, he takes a moment to decide if he really should say what he wants to say. He decides to go with the truth. “I kept thinking about you. Having you here and not able to talk to you. And when I did, I was an ass...”

Chris laughs. “Yeah, my favorite moment was ‘ _you know, people usually thank me when I give advice’_ ” she mocked.

He whined. “Oh, God. I still can’t believe I said that...”

“Well, you got the ‘ _Thank you’_ you deserved.”

He laughs when he sees her grin at him. “I sure did.”

She imitates his position, leaning back and letting her head rest on the back of the couch. She turns her face to look at him, his eyes were low, she followed to where he was looking, or rather what he was looking. Their hands, almost touching.

“You confused the hell out of me that day...” She whispered. Her fingers reaching to touch him, unsure, but he doesn’t miss the opportunity. Their fingers playing with each other. Caressing, pressing the fingertips, like it was the most casual thing ever. “I was sure you hated me after what happened at lunch, but then you calmed me down during the match. I was back not knowing what was going on.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are we okay now? I mean, we _are_ okay, right? Because... it feels good to talk to you again.”

He lifts his gaze, waiting for her to do the same, “I think so too.”

She smiles.

They stay like that, just enjoying each other presence. It felt so right, so natural, so... normal? Not in a bad way, but in a wonderful way.

“I had a good time that night at the club.” He says.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. We don’t get many chances to meet someone new, outside league community. I mean, to meet someone and start from zero. I didn’t know you knew me when we met but, it felt so good talking to you, to spend time with you and not be the LoL player. I could just be me.” He says, quietly.

She squeezed his hand gently. “Martin, I recognized you but I didn’t know you. I still don’t. The little I know was to be able to do my job properly. But I’m hoping that you and I... still have a chance to get to know each other better.”

He feels his heart ache with hope. Closing his eyes for a brief moment as he took a deep breath. He reached her face with his free hand, his thumb over her cheek, and eyebrow and eye before tugging her hair back – something he realized he really enjoyed doing it. “I would like that.”

“Good.” She smiled, “Because you still owe me a dance.”

His eyes widen, as he pulled back and went to find her phone.

“Come on,” She says standing up.

“There’s no mus –“ He stops when she sets her phone down and a slow song starts to play. She lay out her hand for him, inviting him to join her. He takes it, slowly standing up. She places his hands in the right position, one on her waist and the other taking her hand. She places her other hand on his shoulder. “I uh, are you sure about this– I’m, I’m, not a good–”

“Shh,” She smiles warmly, “It’s okay, but, you need to move to be considered dancing...”

“I told you, I’m not a good dancer.”

He was nervous and judging by his tone of voice, a little frustrated.  So, she decided to distract him. “What type of ADC are you?”

“What?”

She chuckles. “Are you the ADC who makes the decision to go ahead with the play and just know your support will follow you,” She starts moving, ever so slowly, to one side and then the other, smoothly, calmly. “Or, are you the ADC who can also trust your support to lead you to better plays, because your support already set the whole thing in motion. All you really need to do is get the kills.” She already knew Rekkles was an aggressive player. But the question did the trick just fine to distract him. He stopped thinking so much about dancing, and just let go. She moves her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, stroking his hair gently. “Let me be your support. Let me guide you.”

She felt his hand squeeze hers, almost as a sign of consent. He was letting her take the lead.

That took him completely by surprise. That wasn’t something that he was used of doing, but with her, felt natural. Felt safe. He trusted her. Even if it was just to slow dance with her. It was a small gesture, but for him, it meant a great deal.

“Now, we are dancing.”

Her amused voice made him smile. Yeah, he was dancing, indeed.

Rekkles brought her hand to rest on his chest as she felt his other hand pulling her closer to her waist. Their faces inches apart, noses almost touching. Chris closed her eyes, leaning her face down on his shoulder as they continue dancing.

“I was jealous before.” He whispers.

Chris opened her eyes but didn’t pull back. “About?”

“You were spending a little time with everyone, and it was nice... it _is_ nice, they like you and accept you. But it was _you_. You know? You and them. And–” She feels him sigh, his thumb caressing her hand, still resting on his chest. “Watching Rasmus that close to you, spending time with you, gaming with you. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like one bit. Made me mad and a little jealous, wishing it was me...”

His erratic behavior made a little more sense now. She knew the situation was complicated but she didn’t know how bad would affect him.

His words made her pull back to look at him. His big blue eyes giving her the raw expression from his confession. She moved both hands to his neck, bringing their foreheads together. It was her turn to confess.

“I want it to be you.”

He feels his heart pick up the pace with anticipation with all the things he wants to do with her and can’t. Can he? The main issue was still there, technically she worked for FNC. He can’t be involved with someone from the team. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be ethical. Would it?

Fuck it. He doesn’t care. Not right now. Not when she just admitted that she wanted him.

Their faces are so close he can fucking taste it. He nudges his nose gently at hers, slowly caressing, almost begging for more.

“I really wanna kiss you”

“And I really wanna let you”

Rekkles don’t waste time once he heard the words coming out of her mouth. Their lips touch, their tongue meet, savoring each other. And fuck, he missed her taste. A soft moan escapes her lips, making Rekkles smile into their kiss.

Key noises coming from the door, made them break the kiss. Way too suddenly. Way too soon.

_Too fucking soon!_

They reluctantly step away from each other, putting some safe distance between them.

“Oh my God, I’m stuffed. Can’t even walk straight.” Caps was the first one to walk in, completely oblivious to Chris and Rekkles presence. The rest of the group followed right after it. sOAZ spotted them both and immediately grinned at them.

“Dude this restaurant was insane. I think we spent more than we should’ve in that place.” Dylan mentions to Rekkles before disappearing into the hall on his way to his room.

When his eyes find her again, she had her finger lingering on her lips. Rekkles swallowed a moan down his throat. _It’s my lips she’s still feeling._

“Chris, are you hungry?” Caps asked, standing beside Broxah in the kitchen.

“Uh... no, thank you, I’m good. I’m just tired. I should get going, though.” She hurried to grab her phone, that was no longer playing music. “Oh, Mads, they fixed your name, okay?”

“Oh yeah? Did you make that poor boy cry over the phone?”

“No... but was close enough” She grins proudly. She stops long enough to put her jacket on, “Good night, guys.” She says, giving one last look over the room, and at Rekkles.

 

 

Once Chris left, the boys went to their rooms, leaving sOAZ alone with Rekkles. “We interrupted something, didn’t we?”

He nods. Rekkles hasn’t moved from his original spot. He licks his lips. “We kissed.”

“And?”

He looks at his friend, “And nothing. We– we were dancing... we talked, we apologized, we admitted things, we kissed, and you guys came back and the moment was over.” He runs his hands through his hair, “Fuck, I really wanna finish that kiss...”

“Then go after her.”

“What?”

“If you hurry you might still catch her outside.”

Rekkles blinked. He didn’t want let time go by on this, he didn’t want to wait and see, he didn’t want to wonder what was gonna happen.

“Go, man.” sOAZ says, smiling.

And Rekkles do just that. He rushed outside, Chris was closing the back door from her car, probably putting her laptop and her bag away. She’s about to open her door when she sees Rekkles running in her direction.

“Hi. Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he breathes, “Everything is fine.”

Their lips met for the second time tonight.

He kissed her long and deep this time. Taking his time. He wanted to fucking enjoy this. He deserved it. _They_ deserved it. His hands held her face as the kiss deepened. He felt her touch over his arms and shoulders, running to his back. Embracing him, losing herself in the kiss.

He gives her bottom lip a gentle bite before breaking the kiss.

“Wha-what was that for?”

“Thank you for the dance.”

She laughs, remembering their deal from the first night. He likes seeing her happy like this. He likes being the reason.

His body is pressing her against the car as he moves in closer to kiss down her neck, she tilts her head slightly to the side giving him free access. Her hands running freely at the back of his neck, through his hair, pulling it lightly, making him give her little bites in results and making her purr. Or maybe it was him.

Fuck if he knew. The only thing he knew was that he didn’t want to stop.

But he didn’t want to go too far either, he didn’t want to cross any lines or anything like that. He slowed the kiss, trailing his way back to her lips.

He nudged his nose against hers, as his thumb danced over her lips before meeting her gaze. And right then and there, he knew things would be okay. Because he saw everything he was feeling, all this crazy rollercoaster of emotions, he saw reflected in her eyes.

He felt happy and strong. 

He felt ready.

Ready to face Worlds.


	4. Chapter 4

 

“You need to _look_ without looking...”

Rekkles instructed Caps, who was seated next to him on the couch. The day started slow, even though they went for their regular morning run, they were feeling quite lazy as the day went on. Rekkles tried to play a few games after breakfast but after a while, he decided to join the team in the living room.

Everyone is comfortably spread out on the couch, hanging out, talking, laughing, the tv was on but no one was really paying any attention to it.

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” Caps asks irritated. They have been trying to teach Caps to see the images of the Magic Eye book.

Chris is sitting at the coffee table, in front of Caps. “Unfocus your eyes,” She says calmly, nudging his knees as an incentive. He looks at her for a moment, then goes back to the book.

But he frowns.

“Hold the book like this,” Broxah placed the book in front of him, right up to his nose level.

“Now try to look through the image.”

“Make it blurry”

“Don’t put the book too far away...”

Everyone was having their shot trying to guide Caps to see the damn image, but nothing was helping. Caps didn’t say anything, he just kept staring at the book in front of him.

Chris looked around slowly, “I think we broke Rasmus.”

Rekkles smiled at how triggered Caps seems to be right now.

“This book is a joke!” Caps snap putting the book down and moving in his seat trying to get up.

“No, come on,” Chris says, stopping him and pulling him back to his spot. She looks at the image for a few seconds, “This one is easy, it’s a dolphin. Now, you try it.”

Everyone is watching him, half amused and half annoyed by this whole thing. Caps ignore their eyes and do what he is told. He really tries to see it. He wants to see the damn image, but again, he is not able to.

“This sucks! I can’t see it!”

“Huh.”

“ _Huh_ what, what that _huh_ means?”

Chris chuckles. “Calm down. It’s just... there are people who can’t actually see it.”

“Why, how come?”

Chris shrugs and explains. “It has something to do with your eyes. How they communicate with each other and your brain. Like, I need glasses because I have astigmatism, but when I was younger I didn’t and I could see the images pretty easily and very fast. But now for me is harder, I can still see it, but it takes a bit longer. Maybe for you is something similar... or it can be just lack of technique.”

It was silly how everyone paid attention to what she was saying. Something small and non-important, but at the same time, it felt important to listen. Her voice was soothing. Gentle. Was actually quite hard not to pay attention to whatever she had to say.

Or maybe it was just Rekkles. The way he watched her, paid attention to her... was speaking volumes to him. He didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t mind at all.

“Still sucks, though.” Caps pouts.

“Sorry, bud.”

“Here, take it with you.” He says handing Chris the book. “Before I set it on fire...”

She laughs, getting up and making her way to the couch to join them. She sits next to Rekkles, who’s greeting her with a warm smile.

“Been so long since I’ve seen a Magic Eye book.” sOAZ mention after a while.

“Me too actually,” Rekkles says.

“I used to have one when I was a kid, with a red cover. Was a gift from my father. Those Magic Eye books and _Where’s Waldo?_ were my favorite growing up.”

Her words make Rekkles wonder about her childhood. The first time she mentions something about her family. Ok, they didn’t have many opportunities to chill and talk about things, but he wanted to. “Yeah, Waldo’s books are annoyingly fun...”

 

 

As the day went on, they scattered around the house, some of them streamed a few matches, others studied some matches with Dylan, or just relaxed in their room. Chris was at the kitchen counter writing stuff on her laptop, checking her phone often after every _plim_ noise from text msgs. She was basically handling everyone’s schedule for the next week.

“I’m hungry.” Caps says as he walked into the kitchen, followed by Rekkles.

“Mhm” Chris hummed as she continued typing, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Rekkles noticed how focused she was in whatever it was that she was doing and for some reason, it captivated him. He liked seeing her like this, in this serious business mode. Kinda sexy.

“Are you hungry?” Caps asks her.

“Mhm”

“I think I will make some pancakes, do you want some?”

“Mhm”

Caps glanced at her to see her attention still fixed on the screen. She was answering him in auto-pilot mode. He let out a soft laugh, _this might be fun_.

“I feel like cooking naked. What do you think?”

“Mhm”

Caps look at Rekkles, shaking his head amazed. “Let her work,” Rekkles says, gently.

“What about you?” Caps asks and Rekkles brow rose up. “Pancakes. Do you want some pancakes?”

“If you keep your clothes on, then yeah, sure,” Rekkles says, smiling.

“Yeah, like you wouldn’t appreciate the view.” Caps teases.

“I would not, actually.” Rekkles laughs, “In fact, stay away from me, go cook all the way over there...”

Another _plim_ comes out from Chris phone, followed by the ringtone from the incoming call, making her jump on her seat. “Shit, I gotta take this.” She says when she looks at the phone screen. “Hello? Yeah, Hi. This is she. Thank you for calling me back.”

Her voice tones down as Rekkles watched her walk away to the porch for privacy.

“Why are you making pancakes at 6 pm?” He asks, watching Caps gather all he needs to make the pancakes.

“I don’t know... just wanted something to eat and pancakes were the first thing that came to mind. I used to eat it all the time back at home.”

Rekkles nods as he walks over, getting the missing ingredient for the pancakes.

Caps watches him for a moment. “What are you doing?”

“I will help. I like cooking...” Rekkles murmurs and Caps just nods.

“Banana or chocolate?”

“Maybe both? Since we are doing this, might as well feed the whole group...”

“Okay.”

It doesn’t take long for Chris to come back from the porch, walking back to the counter as she typed things on her phone.

“Okay boys, some quick shoot tomorrow for the channel before Worlds, with interviews and such, ok?”

She announces and the boys turned to her, “Yeah, okay.”

“I will send the details on everyone’s email. Please check it later today.” She continues. She seats back at the counter and in no time, she’s back to intensive typing.

When they started to heat up the pancakes and the fresh pancake smell filled the whole room, she stops what she’s doing. “What are you guys – oh, pancakes! Great. I’m starving.”

Rekkles glances over, smiling at her. “Which one you want?”

She leans over the counter on her elbows for support, seeing the banana sliced in small pieces and the chocolate. She ignored the mess the boys were also doing in the kitchen.

“One of each?” She said, with puppy eyes. “Pretty please?”

They both chuckled at her request. “Coming right up.” Caps says.

She leans back into her seat, looking at the screen but she couldn’t bring herself to focus anymore. What is it with men cooking that is so appealing? Watch Rekkles in the kitchen was quite the view. Yeah, sure, Caps was also there, but it was different. She saw Caps as a friend, almost like a younger brother who is constantly annoying everyone just for the giggles.

But with Rekkles... was something more.

Especially having him set up a plate for her, with the pancakes.

“Careful, let it cool down a bit before you eat it.”

She smiles and nods. A few minutes later, Caps gather most of the pancakes in a big plate and set on the table. “I will call everyone.” Caps says, leaving the room.

“It’s really good.” She says after having a bite.

Rekkles had made his way to sit at the counter next to her, with his own set of pancakes.

“Thank you. Can’t take all the credit since Rasmus did most of it, plus, pancakes aren’t that hard to make.”

“I know.” She says softly. She turns to look at him. “But still... you should cook more often. It’s- uh... it’s really sexy. It fits you.”

“Yeah?”

Chris can’t help to smile at Rekkles reaction. Even though he has this cocky smirk on his face, she could still see the shyness in his eyes.

“Yeah...”

She watches his face flush red as he shyly licks his lips, her eyes following his actions, sending shivers all over her body. They were sitting at the counter, and what started as a safe distance turned into a few inches away, as they found each other leaning closer without even noticing.

Always orbiting around each other, never too close but never too far away either. It can get quite frustrating at times, like this very moment, all she wanted to do was to lean in a few inches more and kiss him. She wanted to touch his beautiful face and kiss him. But hearing voice noises reminded her exactly why she couldn’t...

Caps come back with everyone else right behind him and in no time, everyone finds their place at the table.

 

 

Chris took the plates back to the kitchen once everyone is done. The kitchen is a mess, she would be freaking out if it was her own kitchen, but it wasn’t, so this was amusing. She didn’t mind to help cleaning. She liked spending time with the boys.

“Hey, no, no, you don’t have to do that” Caps says, bringing some of the dirty glasses with him.

“I don’t mind. You two made quite the mess here.” She looked around.

“Yes, exactly. We made the mess, we clean it.” He says, trying to pull her aside, away from the sink.

“Well, Martin is not here, so I will help.”

“No, you won’t. I will go get him–“

Chris interrupts him, with a firmer tone. “I will help and that’s final. Where’s the sponge?”

“Right there.” Caps says, in defeat.

“Don’t pout. I just want to help. What’s the big deal?”

“It’s not a big deal, it’s just...”

“Yes?” She questioned, as she starts to wash the dishes.

“I don’t want you to think or feel like you have to, that’s all.”

“I know that. I’m helping because I want to. Don’t worry.”

Caps still don’t look too pleased having her washing the dishes but don’t say anything else in the matter. He stays with her, making her company. She washes, he dries. They found their own rhythm, and it was quite nice.

He liked this, though. He used to help his mother all the time when he goes back home. Not that he thinks Chris is a mother figure. Chris was older than him, sure, but when he is around her he gets this older friend or even an older sister vibe. The way she is always taking care of him and the others. Felt nice.

“You always bring me juice...”

Chris heard him murmur. With a gentle voice, she murmurs back. “It’s the one you like it, right?”

“Mhm. Thank you for that.” He gives her a quick look, “The others make fun of me because of it.”

“Because I get you juice?”

“Because I like my juice.”

She laughs, “I’m sure they do it just to push your buttons. Tell them to go find something else to push... and offer them a glass of your juice while you do it.”

“I ain’t offering my juice to nobody!”

The irritation in his voice made her laugh even more. Everyone in the house bullied Caps. Not in a bad way and nothing too serious, but poking Caps about things were their favorite thing to do.

After a moment, he looks at her again, “Maybe just to you.”

“Smart.” She grins.

 

 

Rekkles was on the couch, later that night. Looking through his phone with one hand and the other placed over Chris' shoulder. Chris had fallen asleep and had her head resting on a pillow placed in Rekkles’s lap. His hand gently caressing her arm but every time he put his phone down his hand moved up to brush her hair. It was the second time he had the chance to watch her sleep. She looked so peaceful again, her breathing calm and steady.

“It’s pretty late, I’m going to bed.” sOAZ says. Even though sOAZ sounded pretty sleepy, it took Rekkles by surprise. He forgot that there were other people with him in the living room.

“Yeah, I’m out too. Good night.” Caps follows, standing up.

“I will go soon...” Rekkles tries to keep his voice as soft as possible, not to disturb her.

“You’re gonna wake her up?”

“I will, just...”  he looks at her, “Let her rest a little longer”

Caps watches his friend, looking at Chris with loving eyes. He turns to look at sOAZ, who was still there in the room, watching the same scene Caps was. Then, it hits Caps immediately, the realization that something was going on between them. They both smile watching Rekkles so lost in adoration for her.

Rekkles turn off the tv after a while. Leaving the room with only the dim light coming from a small lamp that was close by. He watches Chris sleep for a moment longer but decides it was time to wake her up. It was getting very late and he didn’t want her to drive the empty streets so late.

But before he could, she moves, changing sides. Her face was now facing him. He thinks she had fallen back to sleep, he tugs her hair back and brushes his fingers gently at her cheeks. She slowly opens her eyes.

For a brief moment, her body tenses. But quickly relaxes once she sees Rekkles’s face. “We have to stop meeting like this...” She whispers, pulling herself up, still facing him.

He tilts his head to the side, a warm smile forming on his lips. “I kinda like it.” He says, his voice matching hers.

He moves closer, leaning in to kiss her. The kiss is gentle. But way too fast, she stops to look around.

“Everyone is asleep. It’s okay.” He says, answering the question she didn’t put into words. He positioned himself closer to her, his voice hoarse, “Come here.”

His hand on her waist, pulling her closer, her lips are soft and warm against his. Rekkles licks the seam of Chris’s mouth until she opens up and allows him to delve in deep, tasting her as his tongue maps out the course of Chris's mouth.

Chris shifts her position on the couch, putting a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she crawls on top of Rekkles, sitting gently on his lap. His eyes attentively watching her as she gets comfortable, hands wandering through each of her thighs moving up to her waist, pulling her closer, seeking her lips again.

This is dangerous, and Rekkles knows it, anyone could walk in if for some reason they couldn’t sleep, but he is starting to care less and less about them finding out. It wouldn’t look good for either of them, but right now he can’t think of anything else besides keeping kissing her. And the way she dives in to kiss him back tells him she not really worried either. Rekkles purrs into the kiss, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms like this.

He feels the warmth of her lips and tongue as she moves from his lips to his jawline down to his neck. His hand moves instinctively to the back of her head, feeling her movements in waves through his skin.

“I think Rasmus knows,” he says softly. “About us, I mean. I think he knows.”

She hums in his neck, before slowly pulling back just enough to look into his blue eyes. “I’m sitting on top of you, kissing your neck and you’re thinking about Rasmus?” She tilts her head, “I must be out of practice.”

“What? No! I wasn’t –“ He starts saying but stops himself when he sees her smiling at him. She was teasing him.

“You don’t know for sure?”

“No,” he says quietly, “He saw us on the couch before he went to sleep. Not sure he knows but he is definitely putting the pieces together.”

Chris smiles fondly as she thinks about Caps acting like a detective as he puts the little clues together. Her attention goes back to Rekkles, ghosting her thumb over his lips. “Does it bother you?”

He shakes his head, “No. But I– I was wondering if you...”

Chris leans in to kiss him. “I don’t mind if he knows.”

He feels his body relax, surprising him on how much her response was important to him. She didn’t mind if they knew. She didn’t want to keep it a secret. It meant something, right?

“I should get going,” she whispers, as she presses their forehead together.

“Take me with you” Rekkles let out a sad chuckle.

“Don’t tempt me...” she smiles as he grins.

They sat there for a while. Not sure for how long. Rekkles enjoying her scent as he gets lost in her embrace as he pulls her closer, arms around her waist and face buried in the crook of her neck. He feels her hand on his back and the other moving up to card her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp as she does so.

“I’ll walk you out.” He quietly says.

They got up and Chris got ready to leave. She told him to have a good rest for the interviews tomorrow. He walked her to her car outside, where they said their goodbyes among a lot of long kisses and caring touches.

 

 

The next few days come in a rush. Everyone was up early in the morning to prepare for the shootings and interviews for their YouTube channel. The makeup time was basically the only time Caps had the opportunity to bully Rekkles, and get his sweet revenge, small at that was, it was enough for Caps. Rekkles was almost like the prince of the group. He had the extra attention for being the oldest member and their captain and had the biggest room in the house. And, take forever to get dressed due to his flawless golden hair.

Chris didn’t show up for the shootings, and Rekkles noticed her absence. He was missing her. But he focused on the task at hand and got ready for the interviews to start.

It went rather quickly. The group was relaxed as they laughed at the whole thing. It felt good to, for a moment, not to carry the weight and pressure and responsibility that comes with the name. Fnatic. Whenever the team was like this, it felt right. Like everyone was in sync. They knew each other, they spend most days every day together. This house was their second home and their teammates were his brothers. Fnatic was a family. And that feeling felt right.

After the shooting days were over, they decided to go out for lunch. Dylan had to leave shortly after it, but no one wanted to go back to the house just yet. They didn’t go out much, at least, not everyone at once. This was a good opportunity to enjoy a nice afternoon out.

A few hours later after visiting some bookstores and coffee shops, they arrived at the house.

“Can’t believe you said no to her, man. What’s the matter with you?” Jesiz complained as they walked inside.

“I just didn’t think it was a good fit.” Broxah calmly responded.

“How would you know? You didn’t try to fit anything anywhere!” Jesiz continued his rant.

“Okay enough, alright? I’m a big boy. I know what I’m doing, I don’t need dating advice.” Broxah was amused but tried to put an end to this pointless conversation, but apparently, his friends disagree.

“Who said anything about dating?” sOAZ adds and Broxah glance at him.

“She gave you her number.” Caps says, in a quiet voice. “You should call her.”

They were so distracted by giving Broxah a hard time over this that no of them noticed Dylan and Chris sitting in the living room. Her laptop was open over the table and Dylan had several papers and his notepad in hand.

Rekkles immediately smiled when his eyes spot her. It was good to see her. Very, very good to see her.

Dylan had this amused smirk on his face, “What’s going on?”

“Mads completely crushed the barista’s heart today.” sOAZ explain in a few words.

“I did no–“

“Dude, you made her laugh, she asked you out, you said no, she still gave you her freaking number and you won’t call her back! That’s heartbreaking.” Jesiz explains further, interrupting him.

“I’m just having a hard time believing she gave you her number in the first place.” sOAZ shook his head in disbelief.

“You want her number? Here.” Broxah reaches his pocket and hands him the paper.

sOAZ smiles and waved his hand, “No, you keep it. She’s probably not that smart if she picked you in our group.”

Broxah showed him his middle finger but laughed at his friend.

Chris and Dylan were quiet while watching and listening to this odd conversation. “And where were you during all this?” Dylan asked eyes dart at Rekkles who was silent watching their friends bicker.

Jesiz smirked, walking closer to Rekkles, patting him on the shoulder. “Martin here was too busy talking with Alice.”

sOAZ noticed Rekkles get momentarily tense when his so-called friend and teammate threw him under the bus. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know any better. Rekkles saw Chris’s expression change as she arched a brow, sOAZ saw it too. For a second there Rekkles thought she was going to ask who the hell was this girl, but Dylan beat her to the punch. “Who’s Alice?”

“Awn, loving Alice. She is this pretty–"

“Shut up,” Rekkles told him. He turned to Dylan as he answered, but in fact, he was giving the explanation to Chris, who sat right next to Dylan. “Alice was at the coffee shop too. I stayed behind waiting for them to get the orders. And I heard her complain about something on her phone and we started talking for a few minutes. That’s all. No big deal. Nothing happened.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Jesiz teases as everyone started to go their own way.

Rekkles shrugged but his eyes searching for Chris’s. “No one’s fault. I simply wasn’t interested.”

“I wonder why...” sOAZ murmur and Rekkles nudge his arm with his elbow.

 

 

After finishing things up with Dylan, Chris asked if she could stay until she was done updating a few schedule sheets. Dylan made sure to let her know she was more than welcome to stay whenever she wanted and didn’t have to ask for anyone’s permission. She was part of the team and their house was her house as well.

She sat at the kitchen counter with her laptop when she felt her phone vibrate when she checked to see who it was, a warm smiled formed fondly on her lips.

 **Martin** : _Knock, knock._

She looked around searching for him, but he wasn’t in the room. She liked how they were all so playful with everyone, and Rekkles wasn’t different. He could be quiet and serious most of the time, she had no problem with that, but she liked this side of him too. The side that was more open, and willing to smile and joke around. And if he wanted to play, she would play.

 **Chris** : _Who’s there?_

 **Martin** : _Al._

 **Chris** : _Al who?_

 **Martin** : _Al give you a kiss if you come to my room._

Chris let out a genuine laugh. She never thought he was the type who made knock-knock jokes, and she never heard this one in particular, but this was just too adorable and amusing not to laugh.

 **Chris** : _Just one?_

 **Martin** : _The faster you get here the more kisses you get._

She grins at his response. She looks around and the room is still empty. Everyone was probably busy with their own affairs and she wondered when that happened because she has been so distracted with work that she didn’t notice when she was left alone.

Chris stood up from her seat and headed to the hall connecting all the rooms, then she realized she had no idea where exactly was Rekkles’s room. But now she knew, after a couple of steps, she saw Rekkles waiting for her by his door, greeting her with that typical smirk on his beautiful face.

“Your knock knock jokes need improvement.” She says quietly as she smiles back at him. She stood in front of him, invading his personal space but he didn’t seem to mind.

“I have another one.” He holds her hand, pulling her inside his room and closing the door behind him.

Her smile grew wider. “Let’s hear it.”

Rekkles steps closer, now holding both of her hands with fingers intertwined, he places it around his waist forming an embrace, “Knock knock.”

His voice is now so calm and soft, it made her feel all tingly. Fuck. And that was when he was making a joke. Can’t fucking imagine how it would be if they were doing something _more_.

“Who’s there?”

“Kiss.”

“Kiss who?”

“ME!”

 _Smooth_ , she thought. Her laughter quickly changed into a shy smile. Having Rekkles look at her tenderly made her mind go blank. How can someone look this innocent and sexy at the same time? She leans in to meet his lips.

He slowly let go of her hands to hold her face as he deepens the kiss. Grabbing a chunk of his shirt on his back, she pulls him closer as if it was even possible. His kisses always made her want to purr with satisfaction.

“Hi” He whispers when he breaks the kiss.

Their lips still ghosting together, she had her eyes still closed when she answered, “Hi”  

 “Go on a date with me. Tomorrow.” He says softly, tugging her hair back and caressing her cheek.

“Are you asking or telling me?” She grins.

“A little of both, I guess.” He admits, tilting his head. “I just want to go somewhere with you, somewhere that isn’t here. That is just you and me...”

“Are you sure? What about Alice?”

Her voice changes tone and Rekkles noticed. It wasn’t an angry tone or rude tone... but the indifference was there, and Rekkles noticed. It took him a few seconds to recognize what it was. It was strangely gratifying and part of him was proud of it. But the other part wanted to make sure she knew there was nothing to worry about.

“I’m not interested in her. She was nice and we had a wonderful 5mins conversation, but that’s all.” He explains and leans in for another kiss, “Go on a date with me...”

Chris wondered if there was anything Rekkles couldn’t get when he asked like that. She nods in response.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah”

He smiled as they kissed. He would finally have some time alone with her. They would go on a date that should’ve had happened long ago.

“I better go back before someone notices. Text me the time and place, okay?” She says, trying to step away from him but Rekkles is still holding her in place. Her hands reach his arms, pulling it down.

“Chris?” He says when she heads towards the door to leave.

“Hm?”

When their eyes met again, he found himself smirking. “You look adorable when you’re jealous.”

Chris is taken aback, confirming his thoughts and making his smirk grow wider.

“I was not– _am not_ jealous.”

He moved slowly in her direction. “Yes, you are.”

“I’m not jealo– look, a pretty girl talked to you in a coffee shop, that’s only the oldest trick in the book of flirting, not to mention cliché. She’s a lucky pony and you are free to talk to people. Let’s move on.”

She says waving her hands to dismiss the topic. But it was in vain. Rekkles wasn’t just gonna let her get away with this.

Was too adorable.

“I never said she was pretty.” He tilts his head, still smirking. She was quoting Jesiz from the conversation earlier. She was paying attention to every word.

“You are enjoying this, aren’t you? Maybe a little too much for my liking.”

He was the one now invading her personal space, caging her with his arms against the door. “Yes, I am.” He says before kissing her, pressing their bodies together. “I like that you got jealous and I like that you don’t want other girls so close to me...” He confesses, his voice deep, “because trust me, I don’t like the thought of another guy this close to you either.”

Chris runs her hand around his neck, pulling him for another kiss as her hand play with his hair. He feels her melt in the kiss, giving in.

“Good.”

She says and it was now Rekkles turn to purr into the kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

 

Rekkles was excited. He was going out with Chris today. It was a good thing. A big thing. Important thing. He was excited and nervous. Very nervous. This was a date and he never had a real date before. He had a few opportunities with some alone time with other girls in the past, sure. Not that many girls, actually, just one girl in particular, but it didn’t last. After their “relationship” crashed and burned, Rekkles only had conversations with girls, some silly kisses or make out when the chance present itself, but nothing else.

And for the most part, it was okay. He didn’t mind all that much. Usually, he is way too busy with League and the championships to worry about, and with his team always close by to make him company, he didn’t feel so lonely.

But some days/nights are harder than others. He longs to have someone by his side, to hug him through the night and make him feel happy and safe.

He felt happy with Chris. He trusted her. It was still a little hard to grasp how fast things were happening between them. Yet, he trusted her. Trust her not to use him or break his heart. To be there by his side through thick and thin. How crazy is that?

But he couldn’t help to feel nervous. He hoped she felt the same. He wanted her to feel the same.

 

 

“Where are you gonna take her?” sOAZ asked, pulling Rekkles away from his thoughts.

Rekkles stepped out of his bathroom, with his brush in his hand. “There’s a park not far from here, I heard there’s a Fair happening there. There’s gonna be a lot of food and we can watch the sunset too.” He says, and when sOAZ didn’t say anything, he starts to get concern.

“Is it a bad idea? I thought, movies we would have to be quiet and pay attention to the movie, but I wanted to have the chance to talk to her as much as possible, and walk and talk, and kiss her, hold her hand – why, why are you looking at me like that?”

sOAZ chuckled, “I just... never seen you like this. It’s nice.”

“Like this, how?”

“Insecure. Anxious. Apprehensive. Hesitant–”

“Okay okay, I don’t need the list...” Rekkles sighs and quickly glance at his friend, “That’s not nice, not nice at all.”

sOAZ stood up from the bed, “Yes, it is. It means this is important to you and you don’t want to screw it up.”

“I really don’t. I thought the Fair would be a good idea for our date, you know, something light... with no pressure.” Rekkles mumbles, voice unsure.

“It doesn’t matter where you take her,” Rekkles raised a brow to his friend, sOAZ continues, “Okay, it can matter but, what matters the most is the company, regardless of where you take her.”

Rekkles seems to agree as he nods. “Any last minute tip?” He asked curiously.

“We already know she is into you, so you have that going for you.” sOAZ grins and Rekkles relaxed a little, “Just be yourself, Martin.”

Rekkles nods, thinking through what his friend just told him as he stepped into his bathroom again _. I can do that._ He thought. _I can be myself. She likes who myself is. Right? Yes, she does._ He shook his head lightly as if his nonsense thoughts would go away with it.

He looks himself in the mirror, putting the brush down. He is wearing his usual black outfit. He feels comfortable with it and he is proud of how his blue eyes and blonde hair works in his favor too. He brushed his teeth and puts some perfume before turning off the light and stepping out once again.

sOAZ is still there waiting for him, leaning on his desk, arms crossed. He looks at Rekkles, “You’re not gonna wear your typical _Rekkles_ hair?”

He chuckles, “What?”

“Your hair. With gel all the way to the back.”

“Ah.” He smiles, running his hand through it, “I decided to go without it. I think– I think she likes it this way...”

sOAZ watched his friend fondly, patting him on the shoulder before they both left the room. sOAZ wanted to see him happy. He deserved it. And when it was about Chris, Rekkles was a goner.

 

 

Rekkles got there first. Good. It would give him time to calm his nerves. His first real date since... ever. He leaned over to the metal fence at the beginning of the park as he rubbed his hands together to warm them up a little bit.

A few minutes later he scanned both sides of the street, it was the middle of the afternoon so there was a significant amount of people around, but his eyes spotted her easy across the street. He smiled and his heart skipped a bit. Chris had her hair loose and wayfarer sunglasses, casual clothes yet still very sexy. Jeans with a black belt, white shirt and black jacket and combat boots.

She looked both ways, checking for cars and waited for the chance to cross the street. She checked her phone before she could finally cross it, instantly finding Rekkles on the other side.

“Hi, handsome,” She says, putting away her sunglasses, her smile was matching his.

Rekkles felt his cheeks burning with the compliment. He leans in to kiss her cheek and whisper, “Hi beautiful.”

She caressed his arms before he leaned back, but didn’t move away. “I didn’t take too long, did I? I had to park a couple blocks from here.”

“No, I just got here myself.” He reassures her.

“You didn’t give me much to go on with, so I went with the basic outfit. Am I overdressed? Underdressed? Where are we going?”

“You’re perfect.” The words came out before he could filter. “You- you _look_ perfect. We can walk from here.”

 

 

They walked slowly, making some light small talk on the way. Rekkles was relieved that this part wasn’t awkward, he was actually expecting it to be, but it really wasn’t. Chris made it easier to keep the conversation going. Asking questions or making silly jokes or funny observations.

He liked it.

He liked how easy it was to talk to her. And it was making it easier for him to relax and be himself.

Rekkles kept his hands to himself, hiding away on his jacket, his hands were still cold, true, but mostly to stop himself from touching her and hugging her, and hold her hand and arms and waist, and her beautiful face... but the quickly realized that she was also with her hands in her pocket. Oddly enough, that made him calmer, his hands now not so cold anymore. Maybe, she was feeling the exact same way he was.

“We’re here.” He says.

“What is this place?” Chris asked, looking around the place slowly. There was an arranged small gate at the front of the park, leading them inside. The ground was mostly short grass. And a small road path circling around the whole place. Picnic tables spread out in the grass. Small beach type of chairs as well, even though a lot of people decided to just use blankets and sit on the ground. A lot of families and couples and kids...

“I sometimes visit the park and the other day I heard they were putting this together...”

Chris let out a soft laugh, “Oh my God, Martin! Is this like a Fair Park?”

Rekkles nods, fondly. “A very small version of it I guess, yeah... but I hope it’s okay? I thought it would be fun to check it out.”

“It’s more than okay. This will be awesome.” She says with a wide smile on her face and eyes sparkling with excitement as they entered the Park. “Wait, they have games here?”

He chuckled surprised with her reaction, wrapping his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer. She reciprocates by wrapping hers around his waist and resting her head on his collarbone.

The walked through the park. Visiting every little food carton and every game booth. Rekkles helped her shoot the target to win prizes. Which she did. An adorable stuffed lion.

“I’m calling it Rekky.” She beamed.

“No. Don’t do this to him...” He whined.

“Look at him!” She says, placing the lion in front of her face, “He looks like a Rekky to me.”

“He’s a lion, he needs a better name.”

“But I only got him because of you.”

“Oh so, you naming him after me is my prize?” He said, amused.

She grins, “No.”

Chris moves closer and lean to kiss him. The kiss was rather short but soft and gentle. She breaks the kiss after delivering _his_ prize but having him chasing to meet her lips for another kiss, was _hers_.

 

 

They found an empty picnic table and decided to rest for a while. It was good timing too because Rekkles knew the sun was just about to set. He places himself at the table, one leg in and the other out, as he snuggled Chris. She offers him the cotton candy she bought before, he takes too much and part of the cotton candy remains outside his mouth. Chris barked out a laugh before placing a hand gently on his face, pulling him closer for her to eat the rest of the cotton candy.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her hand still on his cheek and her face so close to him, how smooth her lips felt, how sweet her tongue was. Or maybe was just the cotton candy. He didn’t mind either way. He just wanted more.

“This place is amazing.” She said after a while, Rekkles nods. Enjoying how calm her voice is.

The weather wasn’t so bad this time of year but was still a little cold. Somehow it doesn’t feel cold at all, as the sun was still ghosting over their skin. He laced his fingers with hers, feeling completely at ease as he softly kissed her shoulder and snuggled closer to her, brushing his nose through her hair and against her ear. Chris melted into Rekkles affection.

“You never been to a Fair before?” He asked quietly and she blushes.

“No. Is it _that_ obvious?”

He smiled lazily, “It’s adorable.”

The place was getting rather crowded, but it was fairly quiet. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their own company and waiting to see the sunset. And it started a few minutes later.

They sat there, staring at the horizon. Watching the sky change colors as the sun slowly disappeared. Chris took her phone and snapped a quick photo of it.

“Now, one of us?” She asked him, shyly.

Rekkles smiles and nods. Asked her to send it to him after it.

 

 

After the sunset, they went for a walk, close the river. There was so much Rekkles wanted to ask, he didn’t want to scare her or seem too desperate either.

“Tell me about you...”

She gives him a sad smile. “There isn’t much to tell.” She says. Once she saw his eyes still on her, she offers, “Ask me anything you want to know and I will do my best to answer it for you.”

He looked satisfied with that. It takes him a moment to speak, almost like if he was having troubles deciding what to ask first.

“How did Finlay find you?”

Chris hummed. Started with the big question.

“Enrique recommended me.” She answered him, calmly walking beside him through the park.

But his eyes went wide in surprise. _Wait._ “Peke?”

“Yeah,” She smiled, “We met a few years ago. I was managing a band at the time, they were gonna play in this club and Enrique was there.” She told him. “He approached me after the show was over asking me about them and I just... froze.”

“You recognized him.” He said, actually picturing the scene Chris was describing.

Chris hide her face with her hands in embarrassment. “I didn’t _just_ recognize him. I _totally_ fangirl him. I was ready to apologize when I see him smiling at me. He didn’t seem to mind at all, he was more surprised about the fact I knew him than the scene I made...”

Rekkles chuckled, thinking about Peke. He missed their time together. “That sounds like him. He is always so chill and easy going.”

“He is. We talked for awhile that day and kept in touch. Not long after that he was needing some help with Origen and asked me if I could point him in the right direction, which I gladly did.” She explains, “Not sure how he found out Finlay was looking for someone but, he gave Finlay my contact info and... here I am.”

“Here you are.”

Rekkles couldn’t help but smile at her.

“So, you used to watch the games?”

“Uh... yeah,” she says quietly, “I watched the games whenever I had the time.” She looks at him, he seemed lost in thought with his eyes low as he walked.

Rekkles didn’t say anything for a long moment and Chris was starting to feel tense by his side. Was he thinking about the night of the club? About how she knew him and didn’t say anything?

Chris was desperate to find something to ask him, her mind was starting to race because she didn’t want him overthinking things. But suddenly, she hears a soft chuckle coming from him.

She looks at him again, searching his eyes, curiously. “What?”

“You didn’t fangirl me when _we_ met...” he says with a grin, meeting her eyes.

She feels her body relax again. “Yeah, and you’re welcome!” She says and he smiled but shakes his head lightly. “What? I had to play it cool, I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of you or the entire club. Would you rather had me fangirl you in front of everyone?”

“No, I would not,” he replies, his smile is still there. “But...”

“But?”

“I wonder how it would be like.”

Chris watched him for a moment not fully understanding why exactly he seemed bothered by the fact she behaved when they met. She felt confused and amused at the same time. If he wanted to know how it would be like, she would give him just that...

She suddenly took fast steps to stand in front of him, bringing her hands over her mouth, acting surprised.

“Oh my GOD! It’s you!”

His eyes widened.

“It’s really you! Rekkles! I’m a huge fan, I watch all your matches!! Oh my God, my friends won’t believe this!” Chris says, voice a little higher compared to her usual soft tone. She jumps forward to steal a hug. “I’m hugging Rekkles! Can’t believe this is actually happening. I love your hair like this, it’s loose and oh, is so sooo soft. I’m touching Rekkles’s hair for crying out loud! And, oh, I’m completely overstepping, right? Yeah, I am, I’m sorry. I always wanted to touch your hair. I like it loose like that, and longer. You looked like a Viking when you used to hold your hair back in a bun. You’re so hot. Mind if we take a picture? My friends will flip the fuck out when they see this...”

Chris takes her phone and snaps a quick selfie with him. Rekkles is quiet but trying his best to contain his laughter. After the selfie she continues like nothing happened, “You are like my favorite ADC, like, ever. Oh my God, it’s such a turn on when you play Tristana. You are so aggressive. Drives me crazy. Are you that aggressive in other things too?” Chris winks and Rekkles breaks down laughing.

“Alright, alright, you made your point...”  He says, waving a hand for her to stop.

Her expression is soft, smiling shyly at him, who had this very pleased smirk on his face.

“So, uh,” Rekkles clean his throat, “This happened with Enrique?”

“No, not nearly this bad or awkward.” She confessed, “But this would’ve happened if I hadn’t control myself at the club. To be honest, part of me will always be a fan and will check social media or save photos I like from you, but, the other part of me? _That_ part wanted to know _you_ better, not as a player but as a person. I didn’t want to talk with Rekkles that night, I wanted to talk with _you_.”

Rekkles feels compelled to walk closer, so close that she could feel the warmth of his breathing. He wrapped his arms over her shoulders, involving her. Her hands pulled him closer by his waist, their noses touching and lips almost kissing.

She thinks he will kiss her, but he doesn’t. He just keeps her close. His eyes are closed as he rests their forehead together. Her hand gently moving in slow circles on his back.

After a while, he moved his hand to tug her hair back, behind her ear. Something he found himself quite fond of. His thumb lingering over her cheek. “So,” he says quietly, “You like when I play Tristana, huh?”

Chris snorted before hiding her face on his neck.

 

 

They found a booth of those instant pictures. Rekkles gave Chris a questioning look, like, _what do you think? Wanna do it?_ Chris smiled, nodding.

“Come on.” She said, bringing him inside with her. They both tried to find a comfortable position but the cabin seemed just too small. Or was probably Martin’s wishful thinking.

“Here,” He offers, “Sit on my lap.”

Chris almost gasps at his words but relaxed once she noticed the request was somewhat innocent. He holds her and pulls her closer by her waist as her arm goes around his shoulder. The machine seemed to be pretty simple to use. A big button with _START_ in the middle of the panel, and _READY?_ blinking on the screen.

They didn’t discuss the positions or overthink about it, soon after they got comfortable, Chris pressed the START button and the seconds started to count on the screen.

She gave him a quick look, “Do your worst.”

“What?”

When he looked at the screen Chris was making a funny face and he quickly understood what she meant. He tried his best to make a good one but failed miserably.

When the shot was taken, they both burst out laughing.

“I said your worst, Martin!”

Rekkles couldn’t answer, he hid his face in the crook of her neck, still laughing. She gently placed her hand on his neck, thumb brushing over his jawline.

The second shot was taken.

He pulled back slowly to meet her eyes, God, he could get lost in those dark eyes of hers. Eyes flicking over her lips before chasing for the kiss he was already missing. A soft and not rushed kiss.

The third shot was taken.

She nibbled his bottom lip before breaking the kiss, making him smile.

“This is the last one...” She says looking at the screen again.

When Rekkles turned to the screen he felt his heart skip a beat. They look so good together, like a real couple, a happy couple. Chris seemed to be thinking the same because she gently pulled him closer, a shy and loving smile on her face.

A second later, the last shot was taken.

They left the booth with silly smiles on their faces. Chris took the photo on the booth after it printed, taking a moment to look at it. Her thumb brushing over each frame.

“Let me see.”

His voice came from behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Handsome as ever...” She whispered when turned her face to kiss his cheek.

“Beautiful as always.” He says, leaning into the warmth of her lips.

 

 

“So, uh, before, you used to work with bands? How’s that like?” He asked once they stopped to eat a hotdog.

“Not so different from what I’m doing now, honestly. But with bands, I move around a lot more.”

“That sucks.”

“Sometimes...” She trails off, giving him the soda and taking the hotdog from him.

He frowned. “Only sometimes? There’s no one waiting back home?”

“There’s no home to go back to.” She says, dismissively.

“I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean–”

“It’s fine. I have been around so much that is kinda hard for me to stay in one place for too long.”

Rekkles found himself frowning again. He didn’t like that. It must be lonely moving around so much. “When we were at the club, you had friends with you. Do they live here?” He sips the soda before giving back to Chris and getting the hotdog, now half eaten.

“No, they live back in the States. They came here with me for a few days but they already left.”

“So, you have a home back in the States.” He presses.

She sighs. “I wouldn’t call it a home, Martin. It’s not like I’m there for most of it. But, I guess, yeah, I do have a place there.”

Rekkles can feel the sadness in her voice. He knew he should stop asking about it, but he wanted to know more. “Where... was home?”

“Brazil.” When she doesn’t hear him say anything, she turned to look at him. Rekkles had this shocked expression on his face. She managed to surprise him for the third time today. She laughed. “Why do people always react that way?”

“Because you have no accent whatsoever, I would never guess you weren’t American.”

“I moved to the States when I was... 11 years old. I’m more American than Brazilian at this point.”

“You have any brothers or sisters?” Rekkles asked curiously, taking the last bite of the hotdog.

She nods, slowly. Rekkles thinks that’s all he’s gonna get from her on that topic, but with a quiet voice, she replies, “One older brother but we don’t talk much.” Rekkles was on a verge to ask _why not? What happened?_ But when she spoke again, she shifted the attention to him. “I’ve seen pictures of your mother and sister. They are both very pretty.”

“I guess?” He laughs, “Yeah, they are both beautiful. My mother is great, she always supporting me or calling me whenever she sees something on my twitter or Instagram. It’s a little insane, sometimes.”

“Why?”

“Its just hard to imagine my mother online, browsing through my pages.”

She chuckles. “She lives close by?”

“Hmm, close enough to visit but not close enough for her to drop by whenever she wants...”

The grin on his face makes her laugh. I guess, no matter how nice your mother is or how good your relationship is, one can’t handle too much time with their mothers once they know how freeing it is to live on their own.

“I saw some photos of you... when you were younger,” She says drinking the rest of the soda with the straw, making that noise on purpose before looking at him with a shy smile.

“Oh God,” He whines, running his fingers through his hair, gracefully. “You know, that’s unfair, I want to see photos of you too.”

“I will track down some old photos to show you.” She nods, and continues carefully, “The photos were of you playing soccer. I read you were gonna have a chance to play professionally?”

Some memories flashed before his eyes. And some old thoughts surfaced his mind again. How different his life would be right now if he was a soccer player? He had no clue what path that would take him. He felt pretty depressed when the chance got taken away from him but it led him to his life today, he was happy and successfully playing League of Legends.

It takes a few seconds for Rekkles to respond, his expression serious through his calm voice. “Yeah, it wasn’t meant to be, I guess. I hurt my knee pretty bad, but you probably read that too.”

“Nothing with details, no.”

“That was pretty much what happened. I was really good, though.” He admits.

“I’m pretty sure you’re good in everything you do, Martin.”

His expression softens almost immediately. Little smirk ghosting his lips.

“Does it creep you out that I know some facts about you?” Her voice barely a whisper.

Rekkles hold her gaze, hands reaching up to touch her face. “No.” He says, voice matching hers. “Does it creep you out that I wanna know everything about you?”

“No” Chris smiled, “Even though I’m probably the most boring person you will ever meet.”

Rekkles shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, touching her face with both hands now as he leaned in to kiss her, “Trust me when I say, nothing about you is boring.”

 

 

“Are you excited for Worlds?” Chris asked as they continued to walk through the park.

“Nervous.” _To say the least._ “It’s the single most important championship of the year. A lot of big teams, a lot of big names... it’s quite intimidating.”

“I bet. I mean, my hands were cold when I 1v1 Rasmus. I can’t even begin to imagine what you guys go through...”

Rekkles smiled at the memory. “You did good on the 1v1. I hope we can duo bot someday...”

“Supporting the famous Rekkles, huh? No pressure there.” She chuckles.

“No pressure.” He smirked.

Few steps after, Chris reached for his hand, holding it gently. “You’re gonna do great at Worlds, Martin.”

“You think?” He asked quietly.

“I know.” She nods.

 

 

“Do you still speak Portuguese?” Rekkles found himself asking curiously, as he watched Chris buy a couple of lollipops.

“Yeah, I do.” She says casually, handing him one of the lollipop she got. “Why?”

Rekkles stops by a tree, leaning his back. “Tell me something in Portuguese.”

Chris arched her brow, amused as she unwrapped the lollipop. “What would you like me to say?”

“I don’t know, anything. I just want to hear you speak...” He admits and Chris steps closer to him, positioning herself between his legs.

“Hmm,” She consideres what to say, “Esse é um dos melhores encontros que eu ja tive. Eu nunca pensei que eu teria o previlégio de conhecer alguém como você.”

Truth be told, Rekkles didn’t think it would affect him as much, but it did. He didn’t understand a single word yet he was completely captured by it. He sets his hands on each side of her waist, keeping their bodies close. “Tell me what it means?”

“It means… that,” She quietly says, almost embarrassed to admit what it meant, her hand roaming gently on his chest, “this is one of the best dates I ever had, and, I, I just- never thought I would have the privilege to know someone like you.”

Touched by her words, Rekkles leaned away from the tree, his big blue eyes holding her gaze as he moved his hands to each side of her face. Foreheads touching briefly before he placed a kiss on her temple and moving to kiss the tip of her nose before nudging his nose against hers in a loving affectionate manner. He sees her smile, shyly, at his actions. Slowly, he leans in to kiss her lips.

He can taste the grape flavor on her tongue from the lollipop she had moments ago. The kiss started small, timid, carefully, almost like testing the waters, which was silly considering they had kissed before. But was a feeling Rekkles couldn’t help to feel before every kiss that involved her.

Rekkles felt the world around them spin as the kiss progressed. Chris was completely open for him, giving him as good as she got. She let him take control and set the pace. His tongue stroking hers, his hand tugging her hair back as he draws her even closer.

Even though their breathing was heavy and shaky as the kiss deepened, Rekkles kept it gentle, long kisses, nibbles and soft bites on her lips.

Rekkles broke the kiss for a moment, Chris still has her eyes closed as she tries to catch her breath, but she slowly opens when she feels his thumb ghosting over her parted lips.

His eyes were darker and his voice was hoarse when he spoke.

”Jag är så kär i dig”

He whispered one more time before bringing their lips together again. It was almost freeing for Rekkles. To confess such thing in a moment like this, he said it because he felt it, it was the truth, and it felt right to say it, like something that couldn't be stopped. The second time he whispered to himself, with the realization of how hard he had fallen for her...

Chris is about to ask him what it means but a child’s voice suddenly interrupts them.

”Eeew mommy, they are kissing!”

Rekkles and Chris both look around searching for the responsible for that annoying little voice. They found a little kid with his mother. He had a huge lollipop almost the size of his head in one hand and the other holding his mother’s. His mother waved at them, apologizing as she smiled, embarrassed.

They both laugh watching the kid walk away.

“Should I drive you back to the house?” Chris asked gently. Arms wrapped around him, forehead resting on his.

“I don’t want to go back. Not yet...” he quietly answered, shaking his head.

“Okay, but we should get going... the park is nearly empty now.”

Rekkles agrees and they slowly make their way back to where Chris’s car is parked. Holding hands while walking was something Rekkles found himself fond of doing with her, among other things. Like, brushing their nose together or tugging her hair back behind her ear, making her smile or shy, playing with her fingers when they sit close together... all the silly little thing people take for granted after a while. He sure as hell didn’t want to take this for granted.

 

 

Chris stood in front of the door of her place, feeling Rekkles behind her as she searched for the keys. His hands wandering across her back up to her shoulders, massaging her as he stepped closer and leaning in to smell her hair, sending a shiver down her spine. Unable to keep his hand to himself, he wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer, pressing their body together. Chris’s eyes fell shut, was really hard to focus on what Rekkles was doing.

Almost involuntary, her head falls back, enjoying his touch and the spell he puts her under. A soft moan escapes her lips and Rekkles breaths heavily. Chris could feel his chest on her back and his provocative bulge pressing against her.

"I won’t be able to open the door if you keep that on..." Chris murmurs, trying to find the right key to unlock the door.

Rekkles's lips hovering beside her ear once he pulled her hair to one side to the other, kissing her exposed neck. He steps back, letting her go but not going very far. "Hurry".

Chris felt a rush running through her veins. Was Rekkles making the first move for something more?

She flipped the keys quickly, finding the right one after a few seconds. Once inside, Rekkles gave the place a look around. The place wasn’t big or fancy, was actually quite cozy and simple. Her desk was with her usual “organized” mess and a few books piled up at the living room table.

Chris is standing in the living room, setting down her phone on the table. When his eyes went back to her, she saw his expression change.

“Can I get you something?” She asked, taking off her jacket and placing on the back of a chair.

Rekkles who was still standing close to the door started walking towards her, removing his own jacket. “Yeah,” He quietly said, placing the jacket on the same chair, “Something.”

With eyes filled with excitement and lust, Rekkles leaned in.

He wasn’t going to take small things for granted, he was going to cherish everything with her and about her, but right now, he wanted a little more.

A lot more.

So, he leaned in and kissed her. More urgent and desperate, different from the kiss from the park and yet, it felt just as amazing and unbelievable. Gave Rekkles the extra confidence to keep going when Chris kissed him back just as desperately.

Her hands clenching his hair as they clumsy started to walk over to the couch as they kissed. The back of her ankle hit the couch and they both stumble over it. Chris moves up with her elbows, Rekkles follows slowly crawling up to her, positioning himself between her legs before lowering his body on hers.

Rekkles bent his head down, gently kissing her eyes closed, wanting to take in every inch of her face as if his lips were drawing a map then cupping her cheek with one hand and leaned in to kiss her lips, igniting the fire that was there moments ago.

Chris kissed back feverishly as Rekkles’s hands traveled up her face before grabbing ahold of her hair. She moaned into his mouth. It felt good. Good having her hair pulled by him. Good feeling the weight of his body on top of hers. Rekkles's hand started to move down her body, gently over her breasts, stomach, waist and hips and finally resting on her thigh giving it a firm squeeze.

His lips traveled down her neck, leaving soft and delicate kisses on her skin before he licked up her throat and forced his tongue into Chris’s mouth, pressing their bodies together. They both share a lustful moan, lips ghosting inches apart, her legs slowly encourage him to do it again, and again.

“It’s so hard to see you at the house and don’t be able to touch you or kiss you...” His voice breaking with the sensation of his bulge rubbing against her.

“I know. For me too.”

Her eyes were still closed. Hands placed over his ribs. She could feel the muscles through the shirt. She wanted to touch it. _Fuck_. Her control was slipping away as Rekkles continued to grind their body together.

“Is this okay?” Chris opened her eyes, feeling the concern in his voice. He didn’t want to go too far or too fast.

She smiled, “Yeah” Hands moving underneath his shirt, his skin soft and warm under her touch, when she reached the muscles she was dying to touch she let out a soft moan in satisfaction, fuck, she couldn’t wait to see him without clothes. “Is this?” She asked, moving her hands to his back almost up to his shoulders.

Her tongue teased him, giving a quick lick on his lips before crashing their mouths together. Rekkles moaned louder in pleasure once her hands moved again, leaving scratch marks all the way down. “Fuck. Yeah, it is.” He breathed, rubbing his, very much so, _hard_ member against her in result.

She kept caressing his back, “Did it hurt?”

Rekkles blushed as he nodded, “In a very good way...”

 

 

They stayed on the couch, making out like two horny teenagers, but they didn’t go far. She wanted to and she could feel how much he wanted to, but I guess it wasn’t the right time just yet.

Chris had her hands tangled in Rekkles’s hair, as he placed kisses between her breasts, down her cleavage. He didn’t try to take it off or pull the shirt up, God knows if he had, he wouldn’t stop there. So was better not to risk it.

Few kisses turned into warm licks and soft bites and gentle squeezes. Whenever he heard her moaning or whispering fuck, he repeated whatever it was that made her react like that. Giving him a firm pull on his hair.

She realized he also liked having his hair pulled. Or maybe was just the realization that he was driving her insane. Was hard to keep control like this.

When her phone started to ring she didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed.

“Shit.” She said under her breath.

They both stopped, hoping the phone would eventually stop ringing. Which it did.

Rekkles moved his body up again, so they were facing each other. The disturbance of the phone was almost a cold shower for both of them. Rekkles didn’t seem upset or anything, though. He looked at her completely at ease. Nose nudging at her cheek and jaw.

He was about to tell her how much he liked this. How much he wishes he could stay like this... or stay with her for the night. Even without doing anything, just being like this with her. For longer.

But her phone ringed again. He sighed. Maybe was a sign...

Rekkles moved to reach the phone that was placed on the table not far from the couch. He looks at the screen before giving it to her.

She looked at the call, frowning, eyes back at Rekkles as in asking permission.

“Answer it.” He said, leaning back to his knees.

“Dylan?”

“ _Hey. I’m sorry for calling this late. Are you busy?_ ”

 _Yeah, you can say that._ “I can talk. What’s going on?”

Rekkles gives her a small smirk and she wants to kiss that smirk right off his face.

“ _There’s an issue with my Visa. They are saying it won’t be ready in time... I just got the notification, I thought it was done already?? I won’t be able to go. I don’t know what to do. What do I do? Should I request it again?_ ”

 _Shit._ “Okay. Calm down. We will figure this out. Just uh... give me a few minutes and I will be on my way there.”

“ _Yeah okay..._ ”

“Dylan, don’t worry. Okay? We got this. I will be there soon.” The call ended and she placed her phone back on the table.

Suddenly their date felt way too short. How did the day pass so fast? She sighs. She doesn’t wanna go.

Rekkles watches her before leaning back at their previous position.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, softly.

Chris wrapped her arms around him. “We have to go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The park I imagined was based on this one: https://www.visitberlin.de/system/files/styles/visitberlin_hero_visitberlin_desktop_2x/private/image/mueggelsee01_c_visitBerlin_Foto_Dagmar_Schwelle_DL_PPT_0.jpg?itok=uoJS9OJB
> 
> I was going to add here the translation for what Rekkles tells her in Swedish, but it will come up again and he will tell her what it means. But if anyone is really curious, here it is: https://translate.google.com/?sl=sv#sv/en/Jag%20%C3%A4r%20s%C3%A5%20k%C3%A4r%20i%20dig


	6. Chapter 6

 

Since Chris got the call from Dylan, she shifted into a more serious mindset, Rekkles noticed. Probably worried about whatever it was the reason Dylan called. The drive back was quiet but still nice. From the passenger seat, Rekkles kept his hand resting on her shoulder, massaging lightly the back of her neck as she drove. She didn’t seem to mind. Whenever she slowed down to a stop sign, he would gently caress her cheek, smiling shyly when she leaned into his touch.

Once she parked outside their house, she made no move to get out of the car. Rekkles unbuckled his seatbelt and searched for her eyes.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

She removed the keys from the ignition. “I’m sorry... for ending our date like this.”

He saw her concerned look when she turned to face him. “Hey, it’s okay.” He told her, “If I _was_ gonna blame someone, it would be Dylan.” He said, trying to lighten the mood.

She gives him a faint smile, “I’m still sorry.”

“Come here...”

Rekkles leans in, hand reaching for her face as they kiss.

 

 

 

Chris follows Rekkles inside the house to find sOAZ and Caps talking on the kitchen counter.

“Dylan?” She asked them, after looking around the empty place.

“His office,” sOAZ tells her.

Chris gives Rekkles a quick look, a look saying _I’m still freaking sorry – I had other plans for the end of this date – I already miss you_ , kind of look. He nods gently with a small smirk, understanding, and her expression softens before she walked away.

Rekkles look at his friends to find them watching the whole thing, reading between the lines. They were both smiling, making Rekkles awkward and confused.

“What?”

“How was your date?” Caps asked, giving Rekkles that damn childish smile that tilts him so much.

Rekkles shot a glare to sOAZ, “You told him?!”

sOAZ sighs and it makes Caps smile go wider, “No, I didn’t. But _you_ just did...”

“Keep it to yourself. I don’t want to make thing awkward for Chris.” Rekkles warns Caps. Even though Chris said she didn’t mind him knowing, it was best to keep this fact under control. For now.

He quickly nods, “Don’t worry. But I have to say, one needs to be pretty blind not to see it...”

Rekkles smiles, taking a seat at the kitchen counter with them.

“So, how was it?” Caps ask again in a more serious tone.

“It was good,” Rekkles says, not giving anything away.

“Oh uh.”

sOAZ shook his head and waved his hand, “No. Nu-uh, I don’t buy it. He gave me the same lame answer after meeting her at the club.” He mentioned and Caps eyes widen in surprise. “So, come on, spill it. _How_ good? Did she like the park?”

Rekkles sighed, smiling. “Yeah, she did. It was fun. We talked a lot. She won a stuffed lion from one of the stands there, she said she will call it Rekky,” He blushes, fighting the smile growing by the memory, “We also took this, look...” he reaches his pocket to get the picture from the photo booth.

sOAZ exam each frame of the photo before handing it to Caps, who says, “You two look happy.”

“It was a good date. A _very_ good date. We went to her place after it...” Rekkles confess, blushing.

“Ooooh,” both Caps and sOAZ teased.

“Nothing happened, though.” Rekkles clarified.

“Awww” both pouted, making Rekkles chuckle.

“Dylan cock block you, huh?” Caps pointed out.

sOAZ closed his eyes sighing, rubbing his temple about Caps bluntness. Rekkles laughs but shakes his head. “No, I mean, in a way he kind of did I guess but I don’t think tonight would’ve been the night for something more to happen.”

“Take your time, man. No need to rush anything.” sOAZ says, fondly.

“I know, it was so good, though. Being with her like that... having the time to talk and not worry about anything. We got to know each other more and that felt great. I could hold her hand, hug her, kiss her... it’s like, we enjoyed the friend part of the date, and then we got to her place and, God, I couldn’t stop kissing her.” He sighs, “We were both pretty frustrated after she got the call.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he had a good reason. His Visa might not get ready in time. Someone screwed up big time. Dylan was really upset before he called her but calmed down knowing she was coming over.” sOAZ explained.

“I’m pretty sure she will handle it, she gets this pretty badass vibe when she’s angry.” Caps teases.

He laughs. Caps wasn’t wrong.

Rekkles walks into his room, placing his phone and his wallet at his desk, along with the photo they took. He set it in front of his screen for now. Smiling, he moves towards his closet, removing his jacket and putting away. He went to the bathroom to wash his face and freshen up a little bit. His eyes absently staring at his reflection in the mirror but his mind was elsewhere, thinking about Chris and their time together, what they talked about, how happy he was feeling, how good she smelled...

He sighs. Life right now was good. He takes off his shirt and something caught his eyes. He turned his body slightly to the side giving him a better view of his back. A smile grew on his face. Scratch marks from Chris. Rekkles closed his eyes remembering the feeling. The mark was fading but the red lines were still there, it didn’t hurt at all, he knew it was going to be completely gone by tomorrow and he wished it wouldn’t.

He liked it.

Back in his room, he picks out another shirt and sweatpants to sleep in before going to bed to rest for a bit.

Sometime later, Rekkles heard sOAZ and Caps going to their rooms followed by Broxah and Jesiz, and Dylan did the same not long after it. He checked his phone and Chris haven’t sent anything, he thought about checking in but he didn’t want to bother her by calling without a real reason...

He stepped away from his room and checked the living room only to find it empty. So were the kitchen and the porch. Rekkles gave a quick peek outside and her car was still there. She was still in the house.

Rekkles rushed into Dylan’s office, opening the door slowly. There she was. Sleeping on the little couch close to Dylan’s desk. Her phone was in her hand, and her laptop still opened at the table in front of her.

“Chris?”

His hand ran gently on her exposed arm. She was without her jacket again. She was probably cold, again. He sighed.

Should he wake her up? She looked deep in sleep already... _damn it, what do I do?_

“I will be right back”, he whispered to her, even though he knew she couldn’t hear him.

He went back to his room and in no time he was back in Dylan’s office, covering her with his FNC jacket. It was silly, he knew this, especially because her jacket was not far from her, placed in the arm of the couch, but knowing his jacket was keeping her warm through the night made him feel good.

He stayed a few more minutes and placed a kiss on her cheek before leaving her to rest.

 

 

 

“Hey...” sOAZ greets Chris, who was walking closer in slow and lazy steps, “Did you spend the night?”

“I slept a couple of hours in Dylan’s office.” Her face winced when she tried to stretch out her body, “Wasn’t a smart idea...”

sOAZ frowned. “He should’ve offered one of the rooms...”

“He did. I’m just stubborn.” Her smile is weak, drained.

“You look tired.”

“I feel tired.” She sighs.

“Do you want some coffee? I can make you something for breakfast too...”

“No, it’s okay, Paul. Thank you, though.” She says, getting up from her seat. “I will go back to my place, take a shower and sleep some more. Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Tell Dylan I will be back soon, and for him to check his desk, okay?” She said. Before leaving Dylan’s office, she wrote him a note saying she did what she could for the time being and for now, they had to wait a few hours for another update.

“Yeah, will do. Drive safe and have a good rest.”

“Thank you.”

Chris drove back to her place and once there she did what she told sOAZ, took a shower, a very long shower, and went straight to bed to catch some more sleep. Before she let her eyes close completely, she found herself smiling. Got up from her bed and pulled out Rekkles’s jacket from the chair where she threw all her stuff in.

And she did what every girl would do, given the situation. She brought the jacket to her nose and smelled it. Rekkles. It was almost like if he was there in the room with her. Flashes of him on top of her came to mind and she wished he was there with her.

She put the jacket on before going back to bed. Set up the alarm for a couple of hours later. After a few minutes she was fast asleep, completely surrounded by his scent and the thoughts of him.

 

 

 

Back at the house, the boys were playing matches. Dylan was also there, watching and preparing for every draft and picks and bans. Dylan was trying to make their mindset ready for the upcoming games, the very firsts days of World Championship it didn’t bring much of a threat, theoretically. Nothing is certain when it comes to League. Dylan knew, and the boys definitely knew it too. Yet, better safe than sorry.

But the time practicing always helped. Playing solo helps to improve your skills, but even have the perfect skills, you can’t win games if you play alone. Playing with your team, working together, knowing what the others will do or what they would do, or even when you are about to shot call a play and your team is already halfway there already... because they know what to do. They know how to play together. That is what makes a team great. The communication. When their minds think alike.

She looked at them, paying attention as they played. Their reactions, their voices, their comments... it made her feel good. To those who took something they enjoyed and transformed into a job, it can be pretty complicated to keep that feeling of enjoyment after so many years. But they seemed to be exactly where they wanted to. Paying an extra attention to Rekkles, she had to hold back a smile before looking away.

Chris signed to Dylan, waving, letting him know she was there. Not wanting to rush him or bother him, she waited for him at the porch. She liked that table and the fresh air. Almost an hour later Dylan joined her and they talked through the whole situation again and Chris told him she did everything that she could, and now, wasn’t up to her anymore. They had to wait.

“Hi! How’s the Visa situation going?” Caps asked from the kitchen once Chris showed up, leaving the porch. Everyone was already engaged in other activities, but Broxah and Dylan were watching tv in the living room.

“Why are you always in the kitchen?” She asked.

Caps blinks, like if it was the stupidest question he ever heard. “There’s food here.” He said.

“Right...” She laughs, sitting down at the counter.

“So? What’s the situation?” He presses, while sOAZ walks in.

“Don’t worry yourself with that.”

Caps frowned.

 _Uh oh._ Okay.

“The situation is that someone messed up the request. It got delayed and normally it takes unnecessary time to get it fixed. But I told them that this wasn’t a normal situation and Dylan wasn’t a tourist trying to enjoy his vacation. It’s business trip. He needs it done yesterday.” She explains.

“Did it work?” sOAZ asked.

“So far, so good. I will know for sure tomorrow. But I’m not gonna wait and see. I will have a backup plan in case... in case I fucked it up.”

“You won’t fuck up. Plus, those people messing up wasn’t your fault.” He reassures her.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Caps leaned closer, “You said, backup plan?”

“Oh, yeah, I mean, if I fuck up and his Visa don’t get ready in time, I will have to go with you guys...”

The two boys looked confused. “But won’t Finlay meet us there?”

“He will but not on the same day. Someone needs to be there to get you guys settle and make sure everything is in order.”

“Wait. You wouldn’t be going with us otherwise?” sOAZ asked.

“No.”

The boys stayed silent, letting everything sink in. Chris was doing what she was here to do but still sucked knowing and hearing it out loud. After a moment, sOAZ turned his head to find Rekkles standing in the hall, looking at them. By the look on his face, the realization of what she just said took him by surprise too.

Chris followed sOAZ’s stare, noticing Rekkles there too. His face was blank, empty gaze staring back at her, not sOAZ or Caps. Her.

She stood up from her seat and before she could have the chance to call him over and ask him to join them, he turned and left, without a word.

“Shit.” She hated seeing him like that. “Gimme a second, guys.” She picks up her things from the ground and rushed to his room after him.

“Hey.” She doesn’t knock. His door was already half opened, a way of telling her he knew she was coming.

“What the hell did I just hear?” He says, not turning around to look at her. Okay, he’s pretty mad. She closed the door behind her before taking a few steps closer.

“How much _did_ you hear?”

He turned to look at her, his voice sharp. “The part of you not going with us is banging pretty loud in my head at the moment.”

When Chris doesn’t say anything, he continues. “Were you just gonna leave and that would it that?”

“No,” she says, her voice quiet. “That would not be that, _at all_.”

“Then, what?”

Chris tilts her head, looking confused. “I’m sorry, I uh... I don’t understand what’s happening.” She takes another step closer, “Martin, you knew from the start the reason why I was here.”

“Yes–“

“ _IF_ I go, and that’s a big if, will be only because Dylan can’t make it and I would be needed there for the team.”

“Yeah–“

“ _Then what_ , Martin?!” Her tone of voice was matching his now, “What do you want me to do?”

“I just– I thought...” He stopped himself, frowning. Looking away, he puts some distance between them giving a step back.

But Chris was having none of that. She stepped forward, “You thought what?”

It takes a while until he has the courage to look back at her again. “I thought... you would consider staying with us.”

 _With me._ He doesn’t say _._

“You don’t think I want to stay?” She doesn’t sound mad anymore, just sad. Which Rekkles thinks is worse. “I would stay if I could but I can’t be here once Finlay is back. I won’t be working with you guys anymore.”

Something in Rekkles snaps again, “Right. That’s right. You are going to go to the next job offer and move around like you always do.” He knew he should keep his mouth shut but everything about this made him mad, “Maybe even meet someone new until you move somewhere else again.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regrets it. Seeing how Chris was taken aback by it, he knew it was too late to take it back.

After a long moment of silence and stare, Chris take a deep breath, suddenly feeling tired. “You ever stopped to consider the reason I never stuck around long enough was because there was nothing for me worth staying for, Martin?” She says, her voice low and quiet, disappointed. “And if that’s how you really see me, there’s nothing for me here either.”

She picks up his jacket from her bag, throwing in his bed before turning to leave.

 _No, no, no, nooo!_ His mind screams. He stopped her before she could reach the nob. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered against her hair. “That’s not how I see you. That’s not– I’m, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

He kept saying it that like a mantra, over and over and a few more times after that, until he felt Chris finally moving, her hand touching his arm around her.

“Would it make you feel any better if I said that I wish we could just ignore everyone and everything so I could have you all to myself? Or that I wanted to go with you, and stay with you even without working here, to talk to you and be near you every day like a normal girlfriend would do??”

His heart skipped a beat by the word girlfriend but Rekkles hates how broken her voice sound, and he hates himself for staring this whole mess. Why couldn’t he just talk to her like a normal person? Sometimes his insecurities took the best of him and this wasn’t the first time he acted like this with her.

When he didn’t answer, she slowly turned around to face him. “Would it?” She asked again.

He still couldn’t find the words. At this point, he was afraid to say something else and make things worse. He simply nodded. Small and weak nod, but it was there. Rekkles felt ashamed, selfish even for wanting all of it.

“Then feel better, Martin.”

Rekkles watches her go, unable to move, unable to stop her, he only watches her go. Her voice sounded to hurt, he wanted to cry. But deep down in his heart he was hopeful that he didn’t fucked up everything for jumping in conclusions. He shouldn’t have put her in this situation, he should’ve asked her about their plans for the future. He was hopeful because even though his words hurt her, she said she also wanted to be with him. She wanted him. He just had to fucking move and go fix it. Go after her and make things right again.

Go. Now.

Move!

By the time Rekkles got to the living room, Chris was gone. He stood there, looking at the door, not knowing what to do.

“Uh-oh. Are mommy and daddy fighting?” Caps’s voice startled him. Rekkles turned to his friend, but he wasn’t alone, sOAZ was there too.

“Why are you two still here?” He asked.

“We were waiting to see if everything was okay,” sOAZ watched his friend with a sad expression, “But by the look of it...”

“She’s leaving! I mean, she... she won’t be here.”

“Yeah man, we all knew the deal. She was filling for Finlay.” Caps pointed out, making Rekkles’s sad face turn into a mad one.

sOAZ reacts before Rekkles could, “Doesn’t mean we like it, Martin. It’s just how it is.”

“You guys don’t want her to stay? She’s been doing great here with us, right?” He asked, hopeful.

They nodded, agreeing. “I’m not against her being here, none of us is but what can we do? It’s not really up to us.” sOAZ said.

Caps continued, “I wish she could stay... I mean, not to take Finlay’s place but, just, I wish she could stay with us, somehow.”

They sat there for a long time. In silence for most of it, when not, was to complain or laugh about something Caps did or said.

“You know,” Caps said, “Finlay asked me about her. How everyone was getting along with her.”

“Yeah, he asked me similar things.” sOAZ nodded.

“Maybe Finlay is considering having her with us as well, even though I don’t think it’s up to him either.” Caps wondered.

Rekkles was taken aback with that. Finlay hasn’t asked him anything so far. Was it possible Finlay be considering having Chris with them full time? Would that mean Finlay was thinking on stepping down? Shit. He needed to talk with Finlay soon.

“It’s late. Go to sleep.” Rekkles tell him.

“Yes, dad.”

 

 

 

“What happened before? Chris seemed upset when she left and so did you when you showed up after her,” sOAZ asked after Caps was gone.

“I said some things I shouldn’t have,” Rekkles said, wanting to disappear.

“What did you say?”

He felt small. “I may have... accused her... of starting something with me to pass time until she was gone to the next job offer.”

sOAZ made a poker face.

“I didn’t use those _exact_ words but that was pretty much the gist.” Rekkles sighed, irritated with himself. “It’s just... she mentioned something about not having any root anywhere, you know, because she moves around a lot, she’s always working in different places and it made me think about _us_. What will happen to _us_ when she leaves. Part of me thought she would stay. Find something permanent to do here, with us.” Rekkles explained, looking at his friend. “But then I heard you guys talking and everything seemed just too much, like the reality crashing down all at once. Got angry and lashed out and said what I said. I apologized right away but, some things you can’t take it back, you know?”

That much sOAZ could agree on. Fighting is always hard because most times when you get angry you say things you don’t really mean, and it was surprising to sOAZ to see that happening to Rekkles. He is usually calm and always think before speaking.

After hearing everything Rekkles had to say, sOAZ took a moment before talking again. “I don’t think you lashed out because you got angry. I think you were scared. She’s leaving and it scares the hell out of you because you actually care about her.”

Rekkles sighs. He didn’t only care about Chris, he was already head over heels for her. But right now, he was acting like an idiot. “Maybe you were right, you know?”

“I know. I’m right a lot. But you need to be more specific...”

“About not being the right time to have a girlfriend.”

sOAZ chuckles, “You are only saying that because you fucked up. Plus, is she, your girlfriend?”

“I honestly don’t know. How pathetic is that?” He smiled weakly. Even though Chris had mentioned before, it wasn’t something they had discussed. He wasn’t sure. He just didn’t know.

“Look, I told you this before, you two need to figure this out. Everything happened and it is happening so fast with you two, it’s not normal, Martin. I got to know her a little too, we all did. She’s an amazing person. Caring, sweet, fun to be around and honest. Stop attacking her, stop assuming things when you can easily just talk to her and ask the things you want to know.”

Rekkles rubs his temple. “I blew it. For real this time.”

“What did I _just_ say? Stop assuming things, Martin. You need some damage control. First, apologize.” sOAZ instructed.

“I did...”

“Do it again.”

“But she will be gone soon... how are we–” Rekkles rambled, sounding lost.

sOAZ interrupts him, “That’s the part of you two figuring things out. Communication is the key. But you need to slow down a little or you will scare her off, man. I mean, you are basically asking her to move her life here, so you two can continue seeing each other. It’s too soon for something like that even if she doesn’t have any roots anywhere else. What you two have its new and it’s good.” He paused looking at Rekkles to make sure he had his attention, “Don’t push her, Martin. Don’t try to control it.”

Rekkles doesn’t reply. He simply nods thinking about what sOAZ said. His mind racing and heart heavy with a mixture of sadness, anxiety, and regret. He didn’t want the worst of him be the part who Chris would remember. sOAZ was right, he needed to do some damage control and apologize again.

With everything going on and him leaving soon, he didn’t want to part ways like this. But most of all, Rekkles felt frustrated with himself. He gave Chris a hard time when he could’ve easily just talked to her.

Later in his room, he stares at the message he had typed for her, still unsent. He should do this in person, he knew, but right now was too late to call her and he didn’t want to wake her. He had to do something now, though. He couldn’t let this spend the whole night without a work or anything... sending the text would at least give him some sort of peace of mind, she would see the message when she wakes up, and Rekkles was praying she would let him apologize again in person in the morning. He pressed send before he could change his mind.

 **Martin** : The things I’ve said... I shouldn’t have. I was out of line.  
**Martin** : I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

He closed his eyes, putting his phone away. He quickly realized that sending the message didn’t give him the peace of mind he thought it would but he did what he could for the time being, so... that was something.

 

 

 

Rekkles is usually an early bird. Today, however, he woke up almost 3 hours after his usual time. When he moved in his bed to stretch his body, everything cracked. He slept heavy and stayed in the same position all night, proof enough that his body and mind needed this rest. After that morning laziness feeling goes away, his mind catches up with him. He searches for his phone.

No new messages.

His heart ached. Chris was still upset with him. Of course she was, the things he said wasn’t going to be easy to forget. Rekkles was never this type of person, who lets his temper controls him, the person who says mean things at the heat of the moment. What sOAZ said was making more sense now. He was scared. He was out of his safe zone when it comes to Chris. This was new and uncharted territory for him, he didn’t know what to do and it was bound to make mistakes.

He just hopes it is not too late to fix the mistakes he is making.

“Hey.” Rekkles sits in the chair next to sOAZ. He was at his computer playing League. Broxah and Jesiz were also playing but way too focused on their matches to notice Rekkles presence.

“Good morning.” sOAZ says, turning his chair to face his friend.

“Is it?”

sOAZ watches Rekkles curl up in the chair, with his knees close to his chest. “There’s still some eggs if you want it.”

“Thanks,” Rekkles said but with no intention to get up.

sOAZ waits for the queue to start another match but the damn thing is already running up to 12 minutes…

“Chris is here.” He says, quietly. “With Dylan, in his office.”

Rekkles looks a little more alert now, “No luck with his visa?”

sOAZ shrugged, “Not sure. She looked tired, though.”

Rekkles nods. “I sent her a text last night, apologizing again...”

“A text, really?”

“It was late... I didn’t want to bother her or wake her up, I don’t know. She– she didn’t reply.”

sOAZ noticed the sadness in his friend last words. “She’s a little preoccupied with this whole Visa thing, she could’ve stayed at her place and deal with it over the phone but she’s here. Just give her some time.”

Rekkles nodded again. While sOAZ waited for the queue, he went to grab some breakfast and came back quickly to watch the match.

He joined sOAZ in the next few matches. After four or five matches, they decided to stop and go watch some tv in the living room.

It didn’t take long for Rekkles to hear Dylan and Chris talking by the door. He tried to listen to what they are talking about but it was too far away. A moment after it, Dylan goes back to his office.

Rekkles got up from the couch and ran to the door, he saw Chris still walking to her car.

“Chris, wait...”

She turns, “What is it?”

Her voice was weak and expression distant. Made him nervous. “Can we, can we just... talk for a minute?”

“I have to go, Martin.”

She starts walking to her car again, stopping by the door when she sees Rekkles by the passenger side, “Chris...” he says. She waits for him to continue, even though it takes him a while. She looks tired and probably wants nothing more than to get home and rest, but she waits for him to continue. He wishes he had something more to say, but all he managed to say is what his heart told him to, “I’m sorry.”

Her expression somehow softens as she continues to look at him. She nods slowly with a sigh.

Rekkles watches her get in the car and drive away.

 

 

 

Next day, sOAZ went to check on Rekkles. He has been hiding out in his little cave since yesterday’s afternoon when Chris left. They talked for the most part, played silly games on his phone, and when was time for lunch sOAZ brought him something too. sOAZ tried his best to distract his friend but he knew his mind was elsewhere.

When he finally left Rekkles’s room, the house was quiet.

“Hey, where’s everybody?” sOAZ asked Broxah, who was using his computer.

“Hmm... I heard they wanted to stop by the coffee shop nearby.” He said, giving a quick glance at sOAZ before turning back to his screen, “But I’m not completely sure because... I was not paying attention.”

sOAZ chuckled. “Fair enough.”

He watched Broxah play for a minute or two but left him be after that. He noticed the porch opened and curiously went to look.

“Yeah- I know, still, I’m sorry for bothering you, you have your own stuff going on...”

He heard Chris saying to someone on her phone. This was a nice surprise, he didn’t know she was here.

“ _Don’t be silly. You did the right thing by calling, even though I didn’t do anything. You took care of it just like I would’ve. Great job._ ” The voice on the speaker said.

Wait. He knew that voice. It was Finlay’s.

“Everything is good to go. I checked and double checked everything for the boys, they won’t have any issues to board or to settle in once they arrived in China. I already talked things over with Dylan and he will take care of everything until you get there.”

“ _Wonderful. I will definitely be there before the games start._ ”

sOAZ felt like he was intruding overhearing their conversation, so he made his presence known. Chris immediately waved him to come closer and sit with her.

“Alright then. I won’t take more of your time... thanks again for the help.” She told Finlay.

“ _No problem at all._ ”

“Uh, Finlay?”

“ _Yeah?_ ”

“How are things... there? With your family. Are you okay? They okay?”

“ _Yeah,”_ He says softly _, “Things were a little bit rough but it's settled now. Mom is calmer and dad is well and comfortable. Things should be good now._ ”

Chris and sOAZ smiled. “That’s very good news, Finlay. I’m glad.”

“ _It is. Thank you. We talk soon, yeah?_ ”

“Definitely. Take care.” She ends the call with the smile still lingering.

“Well, you look a lot better today.” sOAZ point out.

“Got everything ready, Paul. Everything is ready! I didn’t fuck up!” She beamed, making sOAZ laugh.

“That’s great! I knew you wouldn’t.”

Chris leaned back in her seat, finally feeling relaxed since she got Dylan’s call days ago. “Yeah, I was a wreck because I didn’t want to fuck up or disappoint Finlay and... was hard to focus after... everything.”

 _Rekkles_ , sOAZ realized. She was referring to what happened between them. When she looked away she seemed lost in thought.

“He told me... what he said.” sOAZ says quietly. He didn’t want to meddle or cross lines with her about something it had nothing to do with him.

“He said a lot of things.” She murmured, just as quietly.

“He regrets it.”

She takes a deep breath, “I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that he said it in the first place. We had a great day out, I thought things were good, then he completely overreacted about the whole thing.”

“Look, there are things about Martin that are not my place to tell you, but he only loses his temper when something is really important to him. I know he cares about you. He really likes you, Chris, and it scares the crap out of him because it’s the first time he let himself enjoy what you are giving him.”

“I care about him too, Paul. But it's not like I can just stick around after Finlay is back.”

“I know...” He said. He really did know. But if these two had any chance to get somewhere, he needed to meddle a little bit and give Chris a push as well. “Do you want to have a relationship with him, a real long-term relationship? If so, tell him that and work the details later. Because right now he is thinking he won’t see or hear from you ever again once you’re gone, and he doesn’t want that. That’s why he overreacted.”

Chris hold his gaze for a long moment there, seeing how genuinely he was being about helping his friend. She smiled. “You really are his wingman, huh?”

sOAZ shook off the blush on his face, “I know him a long time and like I said, it’s the first time I’ve seen him giving someone a chance to get this close to him. League is important to him, it’s his career and he takes it extremely seriously, but he needs this too.”

“I will talk to him.” She told him after a while.

“Okay.” sOAZ says sounding relieved. “Okay, good, just... don’t take too long? Watching him moping in his room is giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

Chris let out a soft chuckle before she could stop herself. “Alright.”

“And for what is worth,” sOAZ stood up from his seat and got ready to leave, feeling weirdly satisfied with their talk. “...me and the others would love to have you as part of the team. Officially.”

“Yeah, I would like that too.”

She wished things were different, or at least a little easier. She didn’t plan on starting something with Rekkles, especially knowing they shouldn’t but she liked being with him. Spending time with him and hear him talking about anything he felt like talking about, she could listen to him for days and never get tired of it. And she liked the physical side too... God, touching him and kissing him, felt like paradise.

Why did he have to live in freaking Berlin?

To things to be different she would have to switch things around and make decisions she wasn’t used to or ready for.

 

 

 

Chris gathered her stuff and left the porch. The house was once again quiet, no sign of the boys anywhere. The kitchen was nice and clean, the living room empty and the computers were off. She thought about going home but sOAZ’s request popped into her mind. Maybe now was the perfect chance to have that talk with Rekkles and make everything right once and for all.

She walked to his door, took a deep breath and knocked.

“Paul, I said I’m fine! No need to check on me...” She heard his voice, slightly annoyed, coming from the other side of the door.

“It’s not Paul,” Chris said.

For a second there she thought he wouldn’t answer it, maybe he was also gathering the courage to have this conversation, once and for all. When she was about to knock again, she heard his voice but this time there was no annoyance behind it. “It’s open.”

Chris opened the door slowly. “Hey.” She looked at Rekkles standing near his desk, “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, of course.” He said it quickly.

She closed the door behind her and took a few steps before stopping in the middle of his room. “We should... talk, about everything–” She mumbles, unsure on how to start.

“Can I go first?”

Part of her is relieved he took the initiative. She nods. “Sure.”

Rekkles remembers sOAZ’s words, about putting the cards on the table. So, he tries the best he can. “I don’t like thinking that I won’t be able to see you anymore. That you won’t be around us, around _me_. I knew Finlay’s absent wouldn’t be for so long, I knew, but being with you have been so wonderful that the thought of you leaving slips my mind completely when I’m with you. It shouldn’t but it did, and that’s what I want, you and me. You _with_ me and close enough that I can just reach out and touch you...”

He walks closer to touch her, to do what he said but decided not to. Not yet. “Chris... I’m sorry. The things I’ve said–”

“Were true. At least, part of it.” She tells him, voice barely a whisper. He frowns at her words. “I’m always moving, that is true, and I mean, you knew that because I told you but when you said it, it kind of... hit a nerve... you know?”

“I’m so sorry...” He says again.

She nods, “I know. I’m not mad at you, I got mad because it came from you.”

Rekkles knew exactly what she meant. He had hurt her by using something she shared with him. He closed his eyes, the feeling of shame taking over. They stood there for a while. Both unsure, scared. When Rekkles felt brave enough to look at her, she was already watching him. He noticed she was closer now, almost toe to toe.

“When you go to Worlds in a few days, I will go back to the States. I have a meeting already scheduled and I can’t cancel.” She told him, her eyes never leaving his.

“So, you’re really leaving...”

She didn’t like how broken he sounded. She remembered sOAZ’s advice, to tell him she wasn’t leaving him, that what they have means something, _everything._ “See, when you say things like that I get the feeling you mean leaving _you_ , which is not I want.” She said, raising her eyebrow, a small smirk on her lips.

“No?” He asked, heart starting to pound in his chest, full of hope.

She shakes her head _no_.

“What _do_ you want, Chris?”

“I want the same thing you do. I want to stay here with you and go on dates, watch movies together, have late night talks, hold your hand and kiss you in public just like a real couple. I want you, Martin. I want us.”

Rekkles closed the small distance between them, reaching for Chris’s face with both of his hands before he kissed her. Impulsive. Completely without warning. The surprise made Chris moan into the kiss. The kiss wasn’t soft, it wasn’t slow. Rekkles let go of everything that was holding him back as he kissed her and the fact she was kissing him back just the same made him even hungrier, their tongues diving into each other’s mouths to explore. He let out a hot growl when he felt Chris biting his lower lip.

They were both panting when they broke the kiss for some air.

“Boyfriend and girlfriend.” He said.

Chris who had her eyes closed, slowly opened followed by a smile, “boyfriend and girlfriend” She repeated with their lips inches apart, “Give me some time to sort out everything else?” She asked.

 _Don’t push her, Martin_. sOAZ’s voice popped in again in his mind.

“Yeah.” He whispered, resting his forehead on hers, still out of breath. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Don’t worry about us. You have more important things that need your attention right now.”

He smiled at her mention of _us_ , he liked the sound of that coming from her lips. They were officially a couple now. She was _his_ girlfriend. “You are just as important to me.” He says before giving her a quick but soft kiss, almost like a vow, a reassurance of his words to her and what she meant to him. “Really wish you could go with us, though. Things are so much better when you are around.”

She smiled, hugging him and burying her face in his neck.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

Today was a big day for Rekkles. He knew him and the team wouldn’t be able to do a big party or anything but they always celebrated his birthday in some way. He couldn’t go home and spend with his family due to his schedule and the World Championship being so close by, so he was going to spend it with his second family.

He stepped out of his room searching for the others, but the living room was empty and so was the kitchen. Rekkles frowned. They left? Without him?

Was still early, not even 8 am yet, so Rekkles tried to relax and calm himself. He was clearly overreacting. They probably just went to buy something for breakfast or went to the groceries to make something for lunch later or even buying stuff for maybe a party later. Okay. Yeah. That made more sense than them forgetting his birthday and leaving him alone in the house all freaking day.

Rekkles got some cereal and went to the living room to watch some Ricky and Morty. Perfect.

After some time, he hears noises coming from the door. He checked the clock and it was almost 10 am already. Where did the time go? He was watching tv the whole time and completely lost track of time. He looked towards the door to see who just got in.

Broxah and Caps showed up, all sweaty.

“Hey”

“Hey man, good morning,” Broxah says, smiling brightly. Someone was in good mood.

“Out for a run? Did you trick Rasmus to go with you?” Rekkles asked.

“Nah, Chris dragged his ass again,” Broxah answered, looking over Caps, who was making his way back from the kitchen with a bottle of water in hand.

“Chris is crazy. That girl can run for days. She is in excellent shape.”

Broxah nods, “She put us to shame.”

Rekkles listened, he thought he would be happy to know they were spending time with Chris, but it had the opposite effect. He didn’t like knowing it. He didn’t like thinking of it. Not that he didn’t want them to spend time with her, he thought it was a good thing that they all enjoy her company so much. But he wanted to be the one spending time with her. Even more now, that they were together. Officially.

“So... Chris... she was here?”

“Yeah, just to pick us up. You were sleeping.” Caps explained.

“Did she say anything?” Rekkles asked. “About me? I mean, about today?”

“No” Broxah frowned, confused.

“Why? Everything okay?” Caps asked looking just as confused.

 _No._ “Yeah...” _My girlfriend and my friends forgot my birthday._ “Everything is fine.”

Rekkles didn’t know why this was bothering him so much. They weren’t together all that long, hell, they didn’t even know each other that long, but she knows facts about him, she should know his birthday also, right? It was a little upsetting but he couldn’t bring himself to be upset with her. Between all the work and schedule she had to go through, so close to Worlds, she probably had other things in mind. He knew. He understood. Yet, he wished to be in her mind too.

“I will go ahead and shower,” Caps says, Broxah was already gone, “Wanna play some league when I get back?”

“Yeah, sure,” Rekkles answered without meeting Caps' eyes, settling down even more in the couch.

 

 

 

 

The hours passed fast while they played and before he knew it was already 1 pm. Dylan and Jesiz got back some time during the games and now Dylan, Jesiz, and Broxah were setting the table for lunch.

Caps and Rekkles were distractedly talking about the games and what happened during team fights once they logged off from their client, heading to the table with the others.

The lunch was quite nice, light conversation among them, few jokes and laughs and soon enough, they were cleaning up the table and everyone scattered to do their own thing.

Rekkles looked around the house as his teammates walked away. How quickly the living room was empty and cold without them around. He checked his phone once again, expecting somehow a message from Chris that he knew it wouldn’t come. But it didn’t stop him from wanting to.

With a heavy sigh, he went to his room.

 

 

 

 

Chris knocked at the door frame at Rekkles’s room. He was reading, comfortably in his little love chair seat near to his window. “There you are.”

Rekkles looked away from his book, surprised seeing Chris standing there. How long has it been since he sat down to read? He wasn’t sure. He smiled, closing the book and putting on the nightstand before standing up from his seat. “Hey”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.” He said, meeting her halfway into his room.

She was smiling adorably as she approached him, giving him a chaste kiss before snuggling him gently into a warm hug, and the first thing in Rekkles’s mind is how badly he needed this. How her presence was important to him, how this contact, a touch, a kiss, made him feel grounded and made everything ok again.

“The boys said you have been in here almost all day.” She asked, placing soft kisses on his neck. Rekkles can feel her warm breath against his skin as she speaks. “You okay?”

He wanted to tell her, the thoughts in his head, but it wouldn’t do any good. “I was just reading. You know, having a _me_ time.” He tries his best to play it cool, even though deep down he knows Chris can tell he is lying.

But she didn’t press it. And he is grateful for that.

She pulls back just enough to look at him, “Remember when you said you would like to see me as a kid?”

Her question makes him smile, “Yeah, I remember.” He says, and as she reaches for her phone, her expression is gentle.

“I got some pictures...” She says, showing him her phone.

“Seriously?” His smile growing wider, “Please show me, I wanna see!”

She laughs softly, sitting down at the foot of his bed, he did the same. “This is a 3x4 type of picture, I was about 10-11ish years old. Was right after coming to America. Still learning English, pretty noob.” She says.

Rekkles was amazed at how little her face changed. She looks almost exactly the same. Sure, she’s older but the expression is still the same.

She showed him the next photo, “This is me in preschool, with some lame ass x-mas outfit for some school photo. My father used to love this one because my hair was so long.”

“How old were you here?” He wanted to know, his voice gentle.

“I think... around 6 or 7.”

He looked away from the photo, “Has anyone ever told you that you haven’t changed at all?”

She smiled, “My father. He used to tell me that all the time before I moved out. I never paid much attention, I thought it was just... a father thing to say.”

“It wasn’t. He was actually telling you the truth.”

“Not sure that’s a good thing.”

“How come?”

“Well, people sometimes ask for my ID at clubs, sometimes even at the movies.” She tells him, making a funny face.

Rekkles laughed openly. He could see her mad about it, but he still laughed because was amusing and utterly adorable to think of Chris getting mad about someone asking her to prove she was an adult.

“Yeah, keep laughing! It’s funny until it happens to you.” She says, smiling.

“I’m sorry.” He leans closer and kisses her. “You’re adorable.” He says, giving her another kiss, but this time a longer one. “Do you have more photos to show me?”

“Yeah, two more. This one is in a school play. They made me an angel to stay in the background.” She says, smiling. “I was about 13.”

“I knew you were an angel...” He says, nuzzling his nose on her cheek and kissing it softly.

“You’re silly,” She says shyly. It takes her a little longer for her show him the last photo. Rekkles notices her expression changed. Not quite upset but, sad maybe? “This is my father and me.” She tells him, her voice above a whisper.

“You look like him.” He says gently.

“Really? You think?”

“I mean, not sure how good your father would look with long hair, but... I can definitely see the resemblance there.” Chris poked his arm, not to hurt of course, but just for his comment. He didn’t mind one bit, it made her smile, that’s all he wanted.

“Silly.” She says

“Beautiful.” He tells her.

Chris leans forward to catch his lips and Rekkles sighs happily into the kiss. He wished he could have this all day every day. Happiness in its pure form.

But just as he feared, his luck was running out again. “I can’t stay long...” She muttered after a moment.

“What? You just got here.”

“I know, I’m sorry but I still have some stuff to take care of...”

He sighs again, but this time was wishing he could go back in time and stay kissing he until this night was over. “Alright.”

She stood up, putting her phone away. “Walk me to the car?”

“Yeah, let me just put my shoes on.”

“Okay, I will say goodbye to the guys.”

He walked over to his wardrobe but stopped, “Chris?” He called for her before she could leave his room.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you, for showing me the photos. Means a lot to me.” He smiled.

“You’re welcome.” She smiled back, leaving his room.

 

 

 

 

Rekkles put his shoes one and left his room. He still had a few more moments with Chris, so he was trying to hang in there, her visit was the nicest thing that happened to him today, even though she didn’t remember his birthday, she was there with him and they had spent a little time together. It wasn’t enough but meant a lot.

When he steps into the living room he stopped in his track, mouth half open in surprise.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY” they all cheered.

Everyone was gathered and the table was set with drinks and candy and a big cake. A few balloons as well wrapped in each chair around the table, saying happy birthday.

“When did you guys do all this?” Rekkles asked, still in shocked.

“You made it easy since you stayed in your room all god damn day.” Dylan stepped closer to hug him first, “happy Bday, man.”

“Thank you” Rekkles hugged him back.

Broxah was next, “When Chris got here with the cake, she went to find you and keep you busy for a bit to make sure you didn’t leave while we set up everything here.” He explained after the hug.

Rekkles looked over Chris, who was standing close to the group. “So, when you asked me to...”

She couldn’t stop the smile on her face, “I was trying to get you out of the room and bring you here, yes.”

“Very convincing.” He tells her, giving her the smirk she liked so much.

 

 

 

 

“What is this?” Rekkles asked curiously after everyone congratulated him.

“This is my gift for you.” Caps simply said. sOAZ coughed and Caps tried again, “ _Our_... gift for you.” sOAZ shook his head at Caps, making him explain further. “This is Chris’s gift to you but she let us all take a small credit for it.”

With a sigh and amused look on his face, sOAZ speaks up. “What he is trying to say, miserably, is that Chris had the idea and we all wanted to help.”

The attention suddenly went to Chris, who was smiling fondly at the group around Rekkles. “It’s nothing fancy or anything but I hope you like it.”

He smiles.

“Oh my God, this is awesome.” He says after unwrapping the box in front of him. Was a Polaroid camera and a bunch of packs with films for him to use. Would definitely take him a while until he runs out of it. “Can we take one right now?”

“Sure.” Everyone seemed excited to take the photo with the polaroid.

But Dylan hesitated for a second, “Uh, ok, this will be difficult to do with the whole group...”

“Mads, get the camera, you have the longest arm.” Caps poked Broxah’s arm.

He snorted at Caps comment but did what he said. “I don’t think it's gonna be enough, guys.”

“I can take one with you all,” Chris suggested.

“But then you won’t be in the picture.” Rekkles chimed in.

“We can take one with the whole group with our phones since we can set a timer there.” She said. Rekkles wasn’t happy about it but understood. “Come on, gather up.”

She took the polaroid and waited for everyone set into their places.

“Ready?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, here we go, three, two, one, say Fnatic!”

“Fnatic!!!”

 

 

 

 

Rekkles searched for Chris during the party. She excused herself a while back to take a call and hadn’t come back yet. He found her outside on the porch, still on the phone. He smiled at the sight, she was so carefree right now. When she saw him, she reached her hand, calling him closer.

“Hold on,” Chris said to the person on the phone with her, her smile grew wider, her attention fully on Rekkles now, “I might have another surprise for you.”

Rekkles gave her a suspicious look, “Really? What is it?”

“Someone else wants to say happy birthday,” She told him, handing him her phone.

He takes the phone a little unsure and completely curious about who this person might be.

“Hello?”

“ _Feliz compleaños, Guapo!_ ”

“Holy fuck, Peke?”

Rekkles was shocked for the second time tonight, and Chris loved it seeing him like this.

“ _Yeah, it’s me. Happy birthday, my friend. How are you?_ ”

“I’m- I’m good.” He tried to say, his voice almost failing. He sighs. “Jesus Christ, Peke. It’s good to hear your voice. It’s been a long time.”

“ _Far too long._ ”

Rekkles nodded, even though Peke couldn’t see it. “How are things with you? I haven’t heard anything else about Origen. Are you still playing? Where are you right now? We should get together when possible... is it? Possible?”

Chris smiled at Rekkles. He was like a kid meeting his superhero. Enthusiastic and full of questions.

“ _It might be, yeah. Not sure about this year but I can see it happening next year. Can you wait that long?_ ”

“Waited this far, what are a few more months?” He said.

“ _I have a few projects on the works but I don’t wanna jinx it. I will fill you in when the time is right. And to answer your many... many questions, I’m living in Spain and I’m doing alright, can’t complain. And yes, I still play, not as much of course but I always find the time to play a few hours every now and then..._ ”

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.”

This is Peke we are talking about. Was close to impossible to think of league and not think of Peke playing.

“ _I also want to give you my best wishes for the Worlds, will be a very hard journey but I’m sure you can handle it. You are the famous Rekkles after all._ ”

“Shut up...” He snorted.

“ _What? It’s not a lie._ ” Peke told him. To this day, Rekkles had a hard time to actually accept compliments. “ _I want to wish you all good luck and know that I will be sending my support all the way from Spain._ ”

Rekkles expression changed, slightly, from an excited look to a more serious one. “Thank you, Enrique. Your support is so important to me. For us. Always will be.”

This wasn’t just Peke, his old teammate, this was Enrique, his friend, his brother, his family and whenever they talked in a more serious note, Rekkles always felt the need to address him using his name, as a sign of respect.

Chris realized how deep and meaningful their relation is by watching Rekkles talk to Peke. And how important this call was to him. She leaned closer and kissed his shoulder.

“ _And you will always have it, all of you. Just because we are not in the same team doesn’t mean we are not family anymore._ ”

“Believe me, the feeling is mutual, my friend.” He told Peke.

“ _That’s good to hear._ ” Peke chuckled softly.

Chris signed to Rekkles, to get his attention, “I will go get us some cake, okay?”

Rekkles nodded. “Alright.”

After a few seconds, he heard Peke’s voice again. “ _So, you and Chris, huh?_ ”

“She told you?” Rekkles asked, feeling shy all of the sudden.

“ _No man, she didn’t. Not in so many words, anyway. Chris is a very private person, even though I know her for quite a while we don’t usually give each other’s details about our personal lives. But she talks about you... was easy to figure out something was going on._ ”

“We’re... dating.” Rekkles chuckled softly, still amazed by that fact, making Peke smile on the other side of the call, “She’s amazing, Peke.”

“ _She is, indeed. And so are you, Martin._ ”

Rekkles blushed, and silently thank the Gods Chris wasn’t there to see it. He rubbed his forehead. “Sometimes I get scared I will mess things up. This is so new to me and she seems so mature, so confident and smart and funny...”

“ _Oh boy, you are so gone for her!_ ”

“I am. I fucking am. And I don’t even know how that even happened this fast, Peke. Is this normal?”

“ _There’s no manual, no tutorial, no guide when it comes to falling in love, Martin. I know you’re not the type who falls in love easily, so she must be the real deal for you. Don’t over think it. Just let yourself enjoy it._ ”

“I know you’re right. She’s been... amazing, with me, I mean. Patient and caring. And today she planned this small party for me with the guys, it blew my mind. I was speechless for a moment there. I was expecting at all.”

“ _I wish I could’ve been there to see your face._ ” He laughs, “ _She mentioned she was thinking about moving there, for a longer stay._ ”

“Yeah...” Rekkles said, “We had a talk not long ago about us, about wanting to see where this goes. We both wanted to be with each other so, the topic of her staying here came up. I freaked out a little with the thought of not seeing her again, but then she told me she would figure it out a way to make that happen...”

“ _I know her long enough to know that’s not something she usually does. She’s always moving around. But I also know she’s alone a lot. She deserves to be happy, same as you. When she told me about moving there, I knew she was serious about you._ ”

“Thank you for telling me all this. It helps.” Rekkles felt grateful for his friend’s words.

“ _You’re welcome. I’m happy for both of you._ ”

The porch door slides open as Chris comes back with a plate and a big piece of cake.

“Thank you, Peke.” He says again, smiling. “Chris is back with some cake...”

“ _Go enjoy your party. Say hi to Paul for me, okay?_ ”

“I will. We talk soon, yeah?”

“ _Definitely_.”

He gives Chris her phone back to her, taking the plate with the cake from her. She gave him a funny look but didn’t stop him from doing so. He watched her say goodbye to Peke and soon hangs up the phone.

Rekkles takes a little piece of cake and feeds her.

“Shouldn’t I be the one giving you some cake? It’s your birthday cake after all.”

Rekkles smirks and damn, Chris loved that smirk, “No, since it’s my cake, I can give it to whoever I want and I want to give it to you right now. Plus, feeding you like this feels nice.”

She sighs softly. “The cake is good. Sweet.”

Rekkles leans in, chasing after her lips. “It is.” He hums, licking his lips. Chris kissed him again before he could send another smirk her way.

sOAZ cleaned his throat, “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt, we are setting the camera for a group picture. Get inside when ready, ok?”

 

 

 

 

Once inside, they were all smiles when the group photo was taken. Rekkles had this big and sincere smile on his face and it was all Chris hoped for him on his birthday. To see him happy.

“Thank you for the present,” Rekkles said looking at Chris first, but turned to face each one of the guys. “For the surprise party and everything.”

“You really thought we forgot, didn’t you?” sOAZ asked, shaking his head in dismay.

Rekkles felt a sting of guilt for thinking his friends would forget his birthday or believe that they didn’t care. “Yeah, I mean, with everything else going on, was understandable. But it got me a little sad during the day.” He explained.

Caps laughed, “No wonder you hid in your room all day.”

“I wasn’t hiding...” Rekkles muttered.

“Of course you weren’t...”

“Hey, Chris, send me the photo please,” Dylan asked.

“Yeah, me too.”  “I’m next, please.”  “I want it too, you have my number, right?”

Chris chuckled with all the requests, “Alright alright. I have everybody’s number. I’m sending right now.”

Rekkles watched her sitting at the kitchen counter, sending the photo to everyone. He stepped closer and kissed her forehead. Normally he would avoid showing his affection towards her in front of the group, but the guys were already distracted with other things. Watching tv, playing games, talking on the phone... so he wasn’t necessarily worried about that right now.

Chris met his gaze, brushing the tip of her nose at his chin, asking for a kiss in an adorable kind of way, making Rekkles smile before he kissed her, lovingly. Made Rekkles extremely happy to know that Chris didn’t seem to mind that either.

“So, this means you can stay a little longer?” Rekkles asked.

“Yeah, I can stay a little longer.”

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

“Did you have a good time?” Chris asked Rekkles about his party as he walks her to her car. Rekkles smiled, holding her hand as they go.

A few hours ago, he was feeling miserable, forgotten, depreciated. Sure, he talked with his mother and sister in the early morning and with his father during the afternoon, that always meant a lot to him. Being far away from his family can be tough but his mother always had a way to send her love and support whenever Rekkles needed.

However, everything turned out to be a misunderstanding. His damn friends were planning a surprise party. And surprised he was. He still couldn’t believe they went for all this trouble to make him a surprise birthday party. Of course, he wanted his friends to say something, give him a hug, to congratulate him, a pat on the shoulder, to spend at least 5 minutes of their time celebrating his birthday with him, anything really, but he never expected to be a party.

And earlier that evening when Chris asked him to walk her to her car, he was reluctant. Did he want her to leave, ever? No. Of course not. He was ready to beg her to stay, even if for just a few more minutes. But now, he couldn’t stop smiling. And it was all because of her.

“I had a great time.” He says as they stopped by the car door. “Thank you... for helping with the party, for the gift, for giving me the chance to speak with Peke, for showing me your pictures.”

Rekkles wanted to ask more about her father, or anything else about her family, really. She doesn’t talk about them much, other than small comments or quick mentions, and he wonders what happened to make them be so far apart. He doesn’t ask, though. Not now. Not yet.

“And thank you, for being here with me. I know it’s late and you probably had stuff to do.”

“I really wanted to be here, the rest can wait.” She assured him, squeezing his hand gently. She didn’t want him to have any doubts.

He pulled her hands with his around his waist, leaning in to connect their lips for a hungry kiss as he so desperately wanted to all night. Rekkles hands then moved to cup Chris’s face as she takes the chance to roam her hands over his back. It makes Rekkles shiver.

She feels his tongue tease at her bottom lip, she parts her lips allowing it access. She moans lightly into the kiss when suddenly he pulls back. “Is it too late to make another birthday wish?”

Chris opens her eyes to find those beautiful blue eyes already watching her. She smiled lazily, shaking her head, “No. Make your wish, birthday boy.”

“Stay the night.” He says, his voice hoarse, “Stay with me.”

Rekkles didn’t wait for her answer. He knew she couldn’t, but he could still wish for it. To hope for it. He leans in again, kissing her, slower this time. Body pressed against the car. Her hand wanders to the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him in even more as she deepens the kiss.

“You know I would, right? I would if–”

“I know,” Rekkles whispered, moving the kiss to her jaw and down her neck, “I know you would.”

A moan escapes her lips with the feeling of Rekkles’ lips and tongue teasing her skin. They embrace each other, as their breathing slowly goes back to normal, even though Rekkles is still giving her small kisses all over her neck, Chris can’t help but let out a soft sigh at the feeling, happy and safe in his arms.

“Is this how it feels to be a normal guy, making out with his girlfriend outside the house because it would be too awkward to do it with my parents inside?”

Chris snorted at the question. “It feels like that, yeah.” She says, pulling back to look at Rekkles, who was still smiling at his random thought.

“What do you think your mother would say?” Chris asked, letting her curiosity take the best of her.

“About me making out with you outside my house?” Rekkles wanted to know, his smile still dancing on his lips, clearly amused by the whole hypothetical situation.

“Well, I was thinking more about in general, if you were a few years younger and a normal student. But, yeah, I guess I wanna know what you think she would say if the girl was me, yes.” Chris finished her thought feeling shy. She knew his mother played a big role in his life and her opinion would definitely matter to him.

Her shyness didn’t go unnoticed, Rekkles hums thinking in what to say, placing a kiss on her forehead. “If it was in general, I think she would only ask anything if she saw me with the same girl more than one time. She knows I don’t go for just anyone.” He says, and Chris nods at his words.

Rekkles smirked when he noticed she was growing impatient about the second part of her question, “But if she saw me with you, she wouldn’t need to ask me anything.”

“What you mean?”

“Because I would’ve told her about you,” Rekkles explained, gently tucking a stray of her hair behind her ear. “Like I already did.”

“You did? I mean, she... she knows?” Chris couldn’t hide her shyness this time.

“Yeah. I told her about you when we decided that we both wanted this, to try this out. That we were serious.”

Chris nods, silently, at Rekkles words. Her eyes never leaving his beautiful blue ones, “What did she, uh, and I mean, did she say anything?”

Rekkles hums and nods, “She asked if I was happy and I said yes.” He smiled, so open and freely, before continuing. “I talked with her earlier today too, she asked when I will go visit her again. I told her that probably after Worlds. And, she asked about you... if things were okay and if you were taking care of me. I said yes even though you forgot my birthday.”

Chris gasped at Rekkles, “I did not. Martin! Oh my God, she’s gonna hate me...”

He barked out a laugh, clearly enjoying her reaction. “Hey, I didn’t know about the party and I didn’t hear from you until you show up here. I was feeling sad.”

He explained and Chris sighed. That was true. She couldn’t argue with that. Rekkles really had no idea of what was going on.

He kissed her forehead before resting against hers. His both hands on each side of her cheek, thumbs caressing it gently. “I sent her the photo we took with you and the group. I explained everything. Don’t worry.”

Chris closed her eyes and chuckled softly, “What do I do with you?”

At first, Rekkles didn’t move, didn’t react, his eyes were also closed. Then, ever so gently he moves his head a bit, his nose brushing against hers, lips almost touching.

“Kiss me.” He whispered.

She does the only thing she’s able to do, she leans closer to capture his lips, unable to deny him anything at this point.

Kissing Rekkles always felt like a rush. To feel the softness and hunger of his lips, to swallow the wonderful little moans he makes. It was getting harder and harder to stop the desire to keep this going further but the way that Rekkles was kissing her, licking into her mouth and sucking on her lips, nibbling and biting, demanding more, left no doubt that he was clearly thinking the same thing as she was.

Gradually, the heat of the kiss lowered, and their lips parted but neither of them moved away.

“Thank you again, for everything today.” He says, lips ghosting over hers.

“Can’t take all the credit, everyone helped but –” She bit his lower lip softly before whispering, “– you’re welcome.”

They stayed on their little private bubble for a while longer before he gave her a tight hug and said good night. Rekkles wasn’t a big fan of watching her drive away but right now he was feeling pretty damn happy. He had a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend and amazing friends.

 

 

 

 

Chris hasn’t visited the house since his birthday. She knew Dylan would be making preparations with the boys for the upcoming games and she didn’t want to disrupt their mindsets, but her absence was definitely noticed by the others too. Rekkles was missing her. When he wasn't focused on the matches or with the discussion about the champions and strategies they would bring to the championship... his mind always went to her.

“Okay, guys. That will be enough for today.” Dylan announced, after the intense last couple of days. “We have two days until we fly out to China, I suggest everyone get their rest or pick something else to unwind because once we are there, the real challenge will begin. We need to have our mindset in place and have total focus. We think as a team, we play as a team and we will win as a team.”

He finished his speech and watch everybody nodding, full pro player mode.

Smiling, he continues. “I’m inviting everyone for a night out and about, to have some fun, listen to some nice music and eat some good food. But that’s just for tomorrow night, for those who hate to pack or are just horrible at it, start doing it now, please. Don’t leave anything for the last minute.”

Rekkles was too damn tired to start packing right now.

“Hey, wanna go out for a while?” sOAZ showed up next to him. “Get a bite to eat, check some stores, some fresh air, man. Anything.”

“Right this second?”

“Unless you have other plans.”

“No, it’s just, I was actually gonna take a long shower... to relax a little,” Rekkles mumbled as they both walked in direction of their rooms.

“Come on, man. Let’s leave for a while. We won’t take long.”

Caps' head appears in one of the doors, “Go where and why I’m not invited?”

Rekkles snorted and sOAZ explains, “Was asking Martin if he wanna go out. Nothing in specific, I just want to leave the damn house for a short time.” 

“Ah. I see.” Caps says. Looking like a lost puppy.

sOAZ sighs, “Would you like to come with us, Rasmus?”

“Only if you really want me to go...”

Rekkles laughs, leaning his head at the door frame.

 _Patience_.

They needed patience to deal with Caps.

“Go get dressed, Rasmus.” sOAZ tell him and Caps smiles, “I will tell the others too. Martin, go take your damn shower. Now! Start getting ready and let’s go!”

“Technically, I didn’t say yes!” Rekkles yelled, still smiling, but sOAZ had disappeared to his room.

 

 

 

 

Dylan, Broxah, and Jesiz decided to stay put. Dylan was taking care of last minutes arrangements and Broxah and Jesiz were packing. Or trying. They sucked at packing.

“Where are we going?” Caps wanted to know, looking at sOAZ.

Rekkles followed, “Yeah, good question, where exactly are we going?”

“Never thought I would see the day where you two agree on something...”

Caps watches Rekkles laugh, “Martin is starting to see reason, that’s why.”

Rekkles snorted, “Dream on, buddy. Dream on.”

They continued walking through the streets, passing by the stores. Clothes, bakery, bookstore, coffee shop... sOAZ hasn’t given the boys an answer, but as they walked and talk all the way through, it seems less and less important. Caps got a new sunglass and Rekkles couldn’t resist getting into the bookstore, he glanced in a few new books at the stands but nothing caught his eyes. Even though he didn’t buy anything, he liked being around books, and visiting bookstores never hurt anybody. A huge part of the books he has was found by accident. In one of those quick visits. So, it’s something he does every chance he gets. The others didn’t seem to mind, anyway.

They all bought donuts after it and rushed to the Starbucks right around the corner. sOAZ got himself a Mocha coffee Frappuccino, Rekkles went for a Smoothie and Caps... well, Caps being Caps got himself a Rainbow Galaxy Frappuccino.

“Jesus Christ, Rasmus...” Rekkles watches Caps grab his order. The fucking cup was even glowing with all those colors. He wouldn’t be surprised if that crap glowed in the dark as well.

Caps giggles, “What?”

“How can you drink that?” sOAZ asked, amused.

“Like this, watch.” He sucked the drink through the straw, making a very satisfied expression.

Rekkles shakes his head, “That’s probably pure sugar. It’s gonna make you hype followed by a brain damage.”

sOAZ snorted, “I bet we won’t even notice the difference...”

 

 

 

 

“Are you guys nervous about the games?” Caps asked. After walking for a little while through the streets they found an empty bench and now they were sitting there enjoying their drinks. “I kinda am.”

“Sometimes. I mean, is always intense playing on stage full of people watching you but...” Rekkles sighs, shaking his head lightly in thought, “What makes me nervous the most is those few seconds before the match starts, when you can’t go back only forward but you don’t know the outcome. Doesn’t matter how confident you are of yourself or your team, you need to do your best or you lose. The not knowing is what makes me nervous.”

sOAZ nods and adds calmly. “I think we are gonna be okay for the first games. Hard will be once we get to the Group Stage phase.”

“Stronger teams,” Rekkles says, taking a sip from his smoothie.

“Damn Koreans” Caps faked annoyance.

Rekkles had to laugh. It was true. Korean teams were a nightmare to play against. It was a known fact. “God, I hate going against them. But it won’t be all Korean teams, so...”

“We just need to do our part and play our best. Everything else is out of our hands.” sOAZ says.

“What’s up with you? There’s chamomile in your damn coffee?” Caps arched a brow.

sOAZ snorted, “Are you seriously complaining that I’m calm about it?”

“Not complaining... it’s just... freaking me out. Stop it.”

“Just drink your damn Rainbow!”

Rekkles smiled watching them bicker but let out a loud laugh when Caps gave him the tongue and it was multicolored.

“You think Immortals will have their winning streak again?” sOAZ asked, curiously.

“I honestly doubt it but everything is possible, I guess,” Rekkles answered.

“I don’t know why you are asking about Immortals. SKT is the one we should worry about.” Caps mentioned, completely distracted, still drinking his Rainbow Galaxy.

sOAZ grins, “Scared of Faker much?”

“Am not!”

“Well, you fucking should!”

Rekkles rolled his eyes with yet again another bicker between his friends.

 

 

 

 

Rekkles went to his room and finally lied down on his bed once they got back. He stayed there without moving until his body felt ready to get under the covers. He checked his phone and there was a text message from Chris.

 **Chris** : Today has been a long ass day, even longer without you. What are you up to?

It made him smile. He related with that feeling. Even though he went out with Caps and sOAZ and had fun with them, he missed her company too. He missed her a lot.

 **Martin** : Thinking about you.

He wasn’t sure if she was going to answer. Been a few hours since she sent the msg. She was probably busy or maybe even sleeping already.

He checked his photo gallery and slowly went through their pictures together. They together at the bar taken by sOAZ, The one with them together at the Park and at the photo booth. And the few ones they took during his birthday party.

It took him by surprise when a new msg pops up.

 **Chris** : Good things?

Rekkles felt less tired and more alert now. He typed back.

 **Martin** : Very good things...

 **Chris** : Tell me?

_I’m missing you._

He sighed. Sometimes he wasn’t sure if telling her was a good idea. But he wanted to be open for her. He didn’t want to pretend or tell half-truths. She was his girlfriend now. _Girlfriend_. The silly smile was back on his face with a warm feeling in his heart.

 **Martin** : I was looking through the photos we took, you know, since our first date. We look good together.  
**Martin** : I showed it to Paul and Rasmus – I hope that’s okay?

Chris never showed or behaved like she would mind about Caps or the others knowing about them, they were keeping it lowkey but she wasn’t hiding either, but still, Rekkles felt the need to make sure she was ok with it.

 **Chris** : Yeah, it’s okay.  
**Chris** : ...and we look good together, indeed.

 **Martin** : Rasmus definitely knows about us.   
**Martin** : I don’t know if I should be utterly annoyed or insanely proud that he figured it out all by himself.

 **Chris** : He has been curious for a while now. Tried fishing for information when we went for a run a few times.  
**Chris** : He tried to be subtle and for that I’m proud. But I was so vague about it that got him frustrated.  
**Chris** : Was amusing.

Rekkles didn’t know Caps did that, a mixture of annoyance and amusement ran through him. That was such a Caps thing to do, he should’ve expected. But seeing how Chris was acting about it made him relax.

 **Martin** : What are you doing right now? I don’t want to disturb if you’re busy.

 **Chris** : Never too busy to talk to you.  
**Chris** : How was your day?

 **Martin** : Tiring. Me, Rasmus and Paul end up going out today to get some fresh air and it was fun. But I can actually feel my brain shutting down right now...

 **Chris** : You need to rest. Eat something, take a shower and get some sleep.

He smiled once more. She was caring for him. Subtle, but it still matted.

 **Martin** : I did. Now I’m just being lazy in bed.

 **Chris** : That’s my Viking. ;)

He let out a soft laugh, he remembered at the park when she said he looked like a Viking with the hairstyle he had at the time. He knew she was teasing him.

 **Martin** : I’m anything but Viking right now.

It was weird how good this felt. How happy talking to her made him feel. Maybe he should call her, that way he would be able to hear her voice too. But texting made it easier to say things he wouldn’t have the courage to voice it.

 **Martin** : The mark on my back is gone.

He quickly typed it before he could change his mind.

 **Chris** : What mark?

 **Martin** : When we were at your place... you scratched my back. It left a mark.

 **Chris** : Oh shit.  
**Chris** : I’m sorry!

 _Don’t be._ He thought.

 **Martin** : I want another one.

There it was. His secret was out and about, and now he was about to freak her the fuck out.

For sure.

 **Chris** : What?

He never should’ve mentioned anything. This was a mistake. Too late to take it back?

_Maybe if I explain will sound less creepy..._

**Martin** : I liked how it felt when you did it.  
**Martin** : I liked knowing the mark was there and it was because of you.

_She won’t message me back. I’m totally freaking her out._

**Chris** : I liked doing it. I can definitely do it again if you really want it.  
**Chris** : Maybe other marks... in other places…

_Oh._

_Fuck_. Rekkles breathed heavily. _Yes!_

 **Martin** : I want them all.

He confessed, feeling somewhat relieved about telling her this, his desire of having those types of marks, and most importantly, she wanted too. Maybe he could do it to her too. The idea of doing so was definitely a turn on to think about. He could only imagine how amazing would it be to actually do it...

 **Chris** : I wish you were here with me...

He would hug the phone if he could, instead, he turned to his side bringing the pillow with him. He read the message again, his thumb stroking over the screen.

 **Martin** : Me too.

 

 

 

 

That night, Rekkles falls asleep smiling.

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

 

Next day was packing day for Rekkles. He should be used to it by now, he knew what to pack and how many clothes to pick out, but the act of packing and moving wasn’t as thrilling as before. Very rarely he had the chance to actually visit the places the tournaments would take him. And deep in his mind, he knew the pressure of the tournament wouldn’t let him enjoy anything until he had the trophy in his hands.

After he was done packing, he looked for sOAZ, but his room was empty. He went to the living room and found Dylan and Broxah along with sOAZ, watching a match on tv. When Rekkles walked over, he noticed who was playing. Kaos Latin Gamers. The first team they would go against in the first phase at Worlds.

They were all paying attention during the match. Depending on the play, each one of them would give their option, analyzing the player's choices and what would they do differently or how would they prevent such play. The second match was followed by Young Generation team, the second team they would play against.

During lunch, they tried to get their minds off “work” and just relax. But it was hard not to talk about something that was just around the corner... so close to actually happen.

So, later that day it was time for their night out. Dylan had invited everyone as his treat to just relax before the pressure of the championship started.

 **Martin** : Dylan invited everyone for a night out...  
          **Martin** : Come with us?

Rekkles quickly typed the message and hit send. He was hoping Chris would say yes and they could finally see each other. Been a few days since they could be together, and Rekkles wasn’t used to stay this long without seeing her or having her presence around the house.

He went to take a shower and get dressed. He searched for something comfortable yet different to wear but he ends up picking something he would feel more like himself than anything else he could possibly pick out. Black pants with a simple black shirt and white shoes.

Oddly enough, Rekkles was the first to get ready.

He went into the living room but didn’t see anyone, so he went to check the boys, looking in each room. They were at Broxah’s room.

“Hey, what’s going on? I’m ready.” Rekkles said in an amused tone, leaning at the door frame.

“Well, that’s a first.” Broxah murmured from his bathroom showing half his face.

Rekkles made his way to him, the others didn’t even seem to notice his presence in the room as they were distracted laughing at some silly video on YouTube.

“So, uh, you know where we are going?” Rekkles asked.

“Not really. Dylan only said it was a place he knew with good music and food.” Broxah says.

“Yeah, that works.” Rekkles nods, “Don’t take too long, I will be waiting at the living room.” He pats Broxah’s shoulder and leaves the room.

Rekkles felt his phone vibrate as he makes himself comfortable on the couch.

 **Chris** : He invited me too.  
**Chris** : I’m sorry, I can’t go. I have some work left that I need to get done.

The wave of disappointment hits Rekkles and he sighs. He couldn’t be upset about it. Wouldn’t be fair to her. He understood she had stuff to do and couldn’t put off. But he didn’t have to like it, though. It sucked.

 **Martin** : It won’t be the same without you.

 **Chris** : Try to enjoy your night out and have a good time. You deserve it.  
**Chris** : I will see you soon, Handsome.

 **Martin** : Goodnight, Beautiful.

Rekkles brushed his thumb at the screen chat before putting his phone in his pocket.

He wasn’t happy with the fact Chris wasn’t going to be there, but it was a night out with the team, his second family, and that was always fun. They needed this break, this distraction, they needed a night out because in less than two days they would be flying out and would face a huge amount of pressure and stress. It wasn’t their first time, but every event, every game on stage, was something different and new and unexpected, and all of them wanting or not feel nervous, no exception.

The best way to deal with that is to be together as a team, knowing that you’re not alone, they all have each other’s back.

Dylan picked out a restaurant that had a bar and live music as well. Was fancier than the places they usually went to, but Rekkles could tell Dylan was making sure they had everything they wanted tonight. Good food, good food, good drinks, and perfect company.

Was fairly early when they got there so it wasn’t hard to find a good table, especially when Dylan had reserved the best table at the restaurant. A young waitress showed up shortly giving each of them a menu. They took a while deciding what to order but after a long ass discussion, they ordered a little of everything. Dylan ordered a bottle of wine and everyone got their glasses filled.

“Guys,” Dylan cleared his throat, “Before the food gets here, I would like to make a toast. Since I joined this family, nothing but good things happened to me. Coaching you guys have been a privilege. I know what each of you can do, how dedicated and spectacular players you are...” Dylan sighs, “We are about to go to Worlds, guys. It’s huge. It won’t be easy, it’s never easy. It will get harder every day but we will face it together, no matter what.”

“Dylan, please don’t make us cry before the food gets here... I’m too weak, I need food first.” Caps joked.

Broxah bumped his knee against Caps for him to shut up, the table smiled at Caps but their eyes met Dylan’s again.

“I just wanted to say that I believe in all of you. Here is to my Fnatic family.” He raised his glass, “Cheers.”

“Cheers!” they all said, before tasting the wine.

Shortly after the toast, the waitress shows up again with a big cart with her, filled with everyone’s orders. She politely asked who ordered what before placing the plates down on the table. While she does so, Caps and Broxah kept asking her if it was good and if she recommended something else to order, Rekkles watches as she smiled at the boys, not sure if they were curious or trying to flirt with her. She ends up saying everything on the menu is good and tasty, and worth ordering.

Heh. Of course she would say that, she works here.

Rekkles checked his phone for any type of notification, for any type of... message from Chris. But nothing. It’s been a quiet night, social media wise. And he knew Chris was busy, so, it wasn’t a surprise to see there were no any new messages from her.

 sOAZ smirk at him. _Busted_.

He puts his phone away and starts to enjoy the food and the table’s company.

It feels nice and comfortable and familiar. Everyone is talking and laughing and sharing stories and making funny jokes and some... not so funny coming from Caps, they poke each other and get on each other’s throat but is with no mean intention whatsoever. And that’s what is so familiar. Feels like having a bunch of annoying brothers and you love them anyway.

During dinner, a live band started playing some smooth songs, nothing too agitated or slow, just good songs to be listening in the background.

“Chris couldn’t come?” sOAZ asked Rekkles as he shifted his body closer for a more private conversation.

“No, she had some work left to do.” He answered, instinctively reaching for his phone again. No notifications. He leaves the phone at the table with a light pout.

“How are things with you two?” sOAZ distractedly asked while eating.

Rekkles’s face lightens up, erasing the pout that was there just moments ago.

“Things are really good. After we talked and decided we didn’t want this to end, everything now seems... better, lighter. Just by knowing we are real, made everything better for me.” He admits.

sOAZ smiles, taking a gulp of his drink. “You never did well with uncertainty.”

Rekkles sighs. “Does anyone?”

The waitress showed up asking if anyone wanted anything else, but everyone was satisfied so they said no and thanked her.

“You know,” Rekkles said once the waitress was gone, “At my birthday, I talked with Peke.”

“Holy shit, really? How is he?” sOAZ asked, excited to hear about his old friend.

Rekkles smiled, “He’s fine. Told me to say hi and that he will be more in touch...”

“Oh man, that’s good to hear. I miss him.”

“Yeah... me too.” Rekkles murmured. He really did miss Peke, but not just that, he missed spending time with old friends, good friends, like YellOwStaR, Febiven, Reignover and, of course, Peke was right at the top on that list too. “It would be good to see everyone again.”

“It would, it definitely would.” sOAZ agrees, nodding his head and rubbing his belly, “And this place is not bad.”

“You’re welcome,” Dylan says suddenly, smiling across the table.

sOAZ and Rekkles laughed, “The band isn’t half bad either.”

“They play here almost every night, but not usually for this long. You guys are lucky.” The waitress mentioned as she was removing the plates from the table. “Once they finished their set, will be open mic. Should I expect to see any of you singing tonight?”

“I don’t think that’s something you wanna see or hear...” Jesiz said. “Trust me, I live with them.”

“Hey!” Caps frowned, then he turned to the waitress, “He isn’t wrong, though.”

“We are all terrible singers, I’m afraid,” Rekkles said.

She smiled at him, “Alright, I guess I have to take your word for it.”

 

 

 

 

“Why don’t you go see her?”

sOAZ’s voice is soft not to startle Rekkles, who seemed lost in thought as he stared at his phone. Something he was doing a lot today. The others left the table to go talk with the person responsible with the karaoke, apparently, Dylan and Broxah decided to try it out and Jesiz and Caps were there for the laughs.

“What?” Rekkles asked, surprised.

“She hasn’t been around much and we will be leaving soon. You should go see her. Spend with her the little time we have left before we go.” sOAZ advised him.

Rekkles slowly turned to where Dylan’s and the others are at and sOAZ adds, as in knowing what Rekkles was thinking, “I will make something up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, man. Don’t worry.” He smiles, “Go.”

Rekkles seemed conflicted with the idea of simply leaving them there to go see Chris. He didn’t want to be that guy who leaves his friends for some girl, but then again, it wasn’t just some girl, it was Chris. His mind was far away from there anyways, he has been distracted even before they left the house.

“Martin?”

Rekkles blinks. Caps was across the table from him now, looking amused.

“Huh?”

“Why are you still here?” He asked.

“I already told him to go...” sOAZ chipped in.

Rekkles watched his friends with those stupid looks on their faces, smirking and grinning, and somehow, he doesn’t feel so bad for wanting to leave them. But still, “I can’t just... leave.”

“Why not?” Caps asked.

“What are the others gonna say?”

“Who cares?”

“Well, I do. Kinda? Not really. But, I don’t want them to think I just bailed...”

“They won’t, Martin,” sOAZ tells him.

“How do you know?”

“Well, I can’t speak for them but I’m pretty sure everyone knows something is going on between you and Chris. They might not know what is going on _exactly_ but is easy to tell just by watching you two in the same room,” sOAZ told him, matter of factly.

Caps smiles and adds, “Or when Chris is talking to us and your name comes up...”

When Caps didn’t finish, Rekkles wanted to know. “What about it?”

“She smiles every time, man.” sOAZ chuckled.

“Almost as much as you are right now...” Caps said, still smiling at a very blushing Rekkles in front of him.

“She spent a little time with everyone on your birthday, talked with us, made jokes, took pictures, it’s so easy having her around. Not just at your birthday, every time she visits the house she manages to talk a little bit with all of us. I don’t think anyone has any problem with you two being together, not even Finlay.”

“Really?” Rekkles asked and they both nodded. He chuckled softly. He was insanely grateful at his friends’ words and support about his relationship with Chris, it meant a lot for him to know they also cared about Chris and were rooting for them. “Text me? If anything.”

“As in... if I miss you too much?” Caps teased.

“As in, if somebody dies.” Rekkles clarifies, standing up from his seat.

“Don’t worry. I will.” sOAZ reassures him, “Now, go before they all come back...”

 

 

 

 

Stepping out of the restaurant Rekkles waved for a taxi and decides to call Chris, she picks up after a few rings.

“ _You’re not drunk calling me, are you? It has only been a couple of hours..._ ”

Chris teases on the phone immediately making Rekkles laugh. “No, I’m not drunk calling you...”

“ _Is everything okay? Thought you were with the boys._ ” She asked sounding a little more serious.

“Yeah, I am. I mean, I was. We had dinner and a few drinks. Everything is alright, I just... wanted to hear your voice.”

He heard her chuckle, shyly. “ _I’m happy you called._ ”

“You finished the work you needed?”

“ _Yeah... it’s finally done. I sent everything back to Finlay. My laptop is now closed and put away._ ”

Rekkles hums softly, “You must be tired... are you going to sleep? I can call tomorrow If you prefer–”

“ _Martin?_ ”

“Yeah?”

“ _Don’t hang up..._ ”

“Are you sure?”

“ _Yeah, I’m tired but I’m don’t feel like sleeping right now. And I ordered some food too, they will be here at any minute... I hope._ ”

Rekkles hears her soft chuckle. He didn’t press again. She wanted his company, that was all he needed to know.

“ _So, did you happen to meet anyone new at the bar tonight?_ ”

She teased him again and Rekkles couldn’t help but laugh, again. Her tone was light and humorous but he knew there was a trait of jealousy there.

“No.” he says, “No bars. We were at a restaurant but the woman who kept bringing our orders was rather nice...” He teased back, smirk growing on his lips.

He actually didn’t pay attention to the person serving them. Not about the looks, anyway. He only noticed how polite and nice she was.

“ _Rather nice_...” She repeated.

“Mhm”

“ _What’s that mean?_ ”

“Means she was nice.”

Chris snorted at his response, “ _Great. Very enlightening, thank you._ ”

Rekkles smile grew wider. But he didn’t want to make her jealous or insecure. He knew that she was teasing him before but maybe the tease on his part went a little too far. “She wasn’t you, Chris.”

Rekkles voice was gentle and careful, but deep in a way he wanted her to know he wasn’t looking to meet new people, he didn’t want to. After a moment of silence, he hears her timid but satisfied chuckle. Rekkles couldn’t see her but he knew, somehow, he knew she was blushing and he liked the fact he made that happen.

They kept talking a while longer when Chris heard a knock on the door.

“ _Oh, I think the food is here._ ” He hears her hurried footsteps, then, “ _Gimme a second, Martin. Don’t hang up, okay?_ ”

“Okay.”

She opens the door and gasp in surprise. Rekkles is standing right in front of her, still holding the phone in his ear. _God, he looks gorgeous_ , she thinks. He smiles at her, excited, and her surprised expression is now fading as she smiled back.

“I’m sorry it’s not what you ordered.” He says, putting his phone away.

“Trust me, this is better.” She replies, her smile grew wider as she stepped closer to hug him. “Way better.”

 

 

 

 

“What’s up with all the old stuff?”

“Hm?”

Rekkles joins her at the couch, “I mean, you are watching Jurassic Park, I know you are currently reading ‘IT’ because I saw the book last time I was here and I bet if I check your phone I will find some classics tunes in there too.” Chris chuckled, confirming his suspicion.

“It’s not _just_ old stuff...” She mumbles, and Rekkles continues as she didn’t say anything.

“And when we first met you said the last movie you watched was Detroit Rock City, which I didn’t have the chance to see it yet.”

“I like old movies... although, technically, Detroit Rock city isn’t that old, it’s just flat out funny to me because I did similar things but I don’t know, I guess they feel more real compared to the ones nowadays, I mean, they had an actual t-rex robot for Jurassic Park and it looks way scarier and way more realistic as if it was CGI.” She explains, “I’m reading ‘IT’ because even though I know what the story is about, I never actually read the book. Got sick of everyone telling me the book is darker and fucked up. I want to see just how dark and fucked up the damn book is...” She smiles and nudges his leg with hers, gently. “What do you have against the classics, Martin? Don’t be that guy.”

He laughs, “I’m not. I swear. I have nothing against the classics. But I must admit I probably don’t know as many as you do.”

“That’s easy to fix.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, we will need to have many movie date nights, until you are all caught up.”

He smiles, leaning closer to kiss her. “I like how that sounds.”

“What about you? Reading anything good lately?”

Rekkles took a second to answer. He reads a lot of self-help books, things about depression and anxiety, how to overcome obstacles in life, how to keep going and how important it is to keep a good energy within you and around you. He wasn’t ashamed of the fact he read those books, but he wasn’t entirely ready to get into that just yet.

“I read ‘The Girl on the Train’ some time ago and I really liked it. Now I started ‘Ready Player One’ since I heard they are making a movie.” He says, quietly. “I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy books. Nothing too dark though.”

“Fantasy like paranormal... fairytale stuff, or medieval, historical type of thing? No, wait, I know, young adult fantasy, huh?” She smiled and he laughed.

“Uhn... I guess... a little bit of all of the above.” He confessed with his shy smirk and Chris melted at the sight. She snuggled closer to him and Rekkles happily opened his arms to let her get comfortable against him.

They kept watching Jaws, both giving their opinion about the scenes and what they would do if they were there... probably not go in the water when there’s a damn shark around.

“What’s your favorite tv show?” She asked curiously, in a slow scene of the movie. Turning her face towards his, kissing his jaw softly.

Rekkles enjoyed the warm feeling of her lips on his skin before answering, “I used to love watching Breaking Bad.”

“Awesome show, go on.” Smiling, she agreed quickly, letting him continue.

“Hmm, there’s Game of Thrones as well. Especially the dragon’s scenes. They look so big and real, and also terrifying yet you want to touch them. To pet them. I mean, I wanna pet the freaking dragon, for crying out loud. They are my favorite part of the show. The rest is quite boring.”

“Yeah, I think I know what you mean. I liked the first seasons because almost all the side stories were intriguing. But after a while, it got boring like you said.” She tells him.

“But I gotta say, I turn down everything if I see Friends on.”

Chris beamed at him, “Oh my God, I think I’m gonna keep you!” She says and he smiled back, shyly. “Friends is absolutely my favorite tv show ever.”

“What else do you like?”

“Throw some Vikings in there and that’s pretty much it right now. I mean, there are other series, but I don’t have enough time to follow them all.”

“Yeah, same.” He says quietly while they hold hands.

Gentle touches sending a throbbing energy through their skin. They kept talking, the movie momentarily forgotten. The food took longer than expected, but it was finally there. Some good old pizza.

“Okay, don’t judge me, but if you’re hungry you better start eating too because I can’t guarantee I won’t eat everything. I’m starving.” She says, setting the box at the table in front of the couch. “I will get us some glasses. Is soda ok?”

Rekkles nods, “Yeah, soda is fine.”

She comes back seconds later, with glasses and some napkins. “Let’s dig in.”

He didn’t have the courage to tell her he wasn’t really hungry, that he ate so much already at the restaurant, so he did his best to accompany her, eating a slice or two.

“I'm surprised you've actually finished the whole pizza” He mentioned, a small smirk growing on his lips.

She snorted. “What? Shut up. I told you I was starving.”

“No! I didn’t mean it that way, it’s just... you have this whole ‘ _my body is my temple_ ’ kind of vibe.” He leans back on the couch, taking his soda with him. “I mean, Rasmus told me you are in pretty good shape.”

“Oh, he did now?” Chris grins.

Rekkles slowly nods, smirking, “Something along those lines, yeah...”

“I love eating.” She says, “And I eat a lot, which is usually not healthy food. But I also love running. Sometimes I feel restless, uneasy, you know? A lot of energy and not many ways to burn down that energy on a daily basis... so I run whenever I can. Helps me a lot, not just to keep in shape but to calm me down. Helps me relax.”

“Why you never invited me to run with you and the others?” Rekkles asked carefully.

Chris studied his face, a little shy, a little unsure. “I wasn’t sure you would say yes, at first. We weren’t in the best terms back then.” She says as she made her way closer to him. Hand caressing his cheek, “You don’t need an invite, Martin. You are more than welcome to join me in anything. I always want your company.”

Rekkles hold her gaze for the longest time. Processing her words, letting sink in. He leaned in to kiss her lips, soft and lovingly.

The night went long as they kept watching movies. He genuinely had fun, not so much for the movies alone but for spending time with her, enjoying her company, having a cozy and lazy late night with her. Last time he was at her place, they were on a date but right now, there was no “official” date. He felt the need to see her so he went to see her. That’s what couples do. They don’t need an excuse to stop by to see each other. Even though that made sense in his head, he felt nervous before knocking, nervous before she opened the door, nervous about her reaction. But Chris never made him feel unwanted, she always seemed to be okay with having him around. Knowing that always made him feel better about his insecurities.

During the third movie, they were in a spooning position on the couch. No funny business or anything, just Rekkles giving soft kisses on her neck every now and then and every time he did it, she would squeeze gently their intertwined fingers, over her chest.

Before the movie ended, Chris had turned around hiding her face in the crook of his neck, sleepily. Rekkles let out a soft sigh. She was tired and even though he didn’t want to wake her, he had to. He didn’t want her to sleep on the couch, having a perfect and comfortable bed not too far away from where they are. He kissed her shoulder and her cheek then her forehead, she slowly wakes up...

“Hi, beautiful.” He says, tugging her hair behind her ear.

She hid her face on his neck again, “I’m sorry. I completely dozed off.”

“It’s okay. It’s getting late, I don’t want you to spend the night on the couch...” His voice is calm, a gentle whisper close to her ear. “Wanna go to bed?”

“Yes.” She says.

“Okay.”

Rekkles waited for her to move, to give him any sign that she was going to get up... but the sign never came. He smiled, amused.

“Chris?”

“Hm?”

“Bed?”

“Yes.” She says again, “But, lazy... to move...”

 _She’s fucking adorable_. He smiled to himself.

He kissed her shoulder once more, before carefully letting go of her to get up, “Here, turn around...” Chris did what he asked, slowly turning around. “Arm around my shoulder, come on, that’s it, good, now don’t let go...”

He got up bringing her with him, carrying her to her room in bride style.

“Wha-what are you doing?”

“Carrying you to bed...”

Chris didn’t reply nor tried to stop him. He stepped inside her room, setting her down nice and easy on the bed, joining her beside her.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know?”

“I know.” He says fondly and she smiled. Her arms still around his neck, slowly pulled him closer to meet her lips, he wasted no time kissing her back. Just as loving, just as sweet.

They stayed there, side by side, small kisses, and featherlight touches and looks so full with meaning.

“My sleeping beauty is not sleepy anymore?” Rekkles asked, voice quiet, breaking the silence after quite some time.

“Not right now,” She says gently, her hand caressing his face. “How long can you stay?”

“Not sure, Paul said he would cover for me... if I’m back at the house before they wake up it will be fine, I guess.” He said, pausing briefly before continuing. “If I’m allowed to spend the night here, that is.”

Rekkles felt nervous, suddenly aware of his request but her smile put him at ease. “You are.”

 

 

 

 

“Okay, bathroom is all yours if you want to use it.”

Chris leaves the bathroom to find Rekkles still cozy in her bed. He leans on his elbows to look at her, “Oh, I do, thank you.” He says standing up, “I won’t take long.”

“Take your time...”

Rekkles entered the bathroom and found the toothbrush placed at the sink for him. He brushed his teeth, washed his face and very careful to not make a mess, he tried to remove the gel from his hair. But he failed miserably. He needed a proper shower to remove it completely.

“Uh, Chris?” He called for her, without opening the door.

“Yeah?”

“Can I use your shower?” Rekkles asked awkwardly.

“Of course, feel free to use anything in there.” Her voice sounded closer to the door now, “There are clean towels at the cabinet.”

“Great, thank you.”

He quickly removed his clothes and turned in the water. Feeling the hot water over his body was rather relaxing. And knowing he was actually showering at Chris’s place made him smile. It was a silly feeling, but a feeling that made him happy. After washing his hair and the rest of his body, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off and just as quickly, he put his clothes back on again. He checks the bathroom before leaving, to make sure everything is as it was when he came in. He dries his hair one more time, setting it back as he normally does.

He found Chris in bed, looking at her phone. Back leaned at the headboard, her feet lazily moving to one side to the other, distracted by whatever it is she’s looking at the phone.

He approaches the bed, sitting at the edge and holding her feet. “Thank you for letting me use your shower, I uh, wanted to wash off the gel from my hair.”

She smiled, eyes leaving the phone to look at him, “You’re welcome. I like it that way better...”

Her admission made him smile, he had been right about her liking his hair without product. “Paul called it ‘Rekkles hair’, the way I wear it.” He mentioned, smirking.

She laughs, “It’s definitely a Rekkles style, yes.”

He smiled at her. So open and free.

His hand kept massaging her foot gently. He never thought about doing that, yet there he was, already doing it because he simply wanted, because he couldn’t stop himself from touching her.

Her eyes were still watching him and he suddenly felt nervous. He lowered his eyes and focused on what he was doing. Massaging her pretty little foot. She moved her toes slightly, curling them every time his thumb crossed the instep of her foot. When he looked up again, she had her eyes closed, her phone was off and placed in the free space by her side, completely forgotten.

“Good?” He asked, voice quiet to not startle her.

She opened her eyes, slowly, “Yeah”

Rekkles reached for the other one and starting the same movement he has been doing.

“Come here.” She says after a while.

Her soft voice melts him. He hops in the bed, kneeling in front of her. He leaned down just enough to slide a hand underneath her waist and pull her down ever so gently so she could be laying fully on her back and completely under him when he leaned down once again, but this time with the full intention to kiss her lips.

Without breaking the kiss, Rekkles positioned himself on top of her, putting most of his weight in one elbow as he shifted to the side a little. Being with her like this was just what he needed. He could’ve stayed with his team, he could’ve spent the night with them and have a last free night out before the whole craziness start. But Chris wasn’t going to be there, he needed this with her just as much he needed his team.

Soft touches, slow kisses, and momentary roughness as they continued to make out. Hands roaming through the clothes. Rekkles let out a happy sigh. He wasn’t all _that_ innocent, he knew what he wanted and how to do it but right now he had absolutely no clue how to initiate it. That’s where his happy sigh makes sense... he felt Chris pushing him to the side, going with him. They are facing each other, breathing a little shaky from the kisses, her hand on his hip, pulled him towards her, making his leg come between hers. Her leg gently placed where her hand was moments ago. His hand touched her exposed and gorgeous thigh.

Chris was initiating. Or at the very least, giving _him_ the opportunity to follow up if he wanted.

What were soft kisses before were now hungry ones, full of desire. They didn’t need words to know what they both wanted.

Their hips moving, rubbing, teasing, feeling each other bodies. Chris moved the kiss to his neck and Rekkles tilted his head back, inviting her, encouraging her to continue. He shivered with the feeling, making the grip on her thigh intensify, pulling her to himself more and more. Hand moving free under her shorts, squeezing her ass cheek.

 _Jesus fucking Christ_ , she wasn’t wearing any panties.

That’s... normal, right? It was late and she was planning on going to sleep. She probably feels more comfortable this way. Right?

 _Fuck_.

Whatever the reason, Rekkles felt more confident. He seeks for her lips again, kissing her long and hard. Chris didn’t ask to stop or made any action that she wanted this to slow down. He was sure she wanted when he feels her hand moving to his pants.

He moans in response, without breaking the kiss.

Chris rubs her palm against his cock. Timid at first but didn’t take long for the rubs to turn into strokes. She could feel how hard he was underneath his pants. She tried her best to unbutton it without looking, it takes a few tries but she managed to get it done, stroking a few more times over his boxers, making Rekkles moan once again.

She could feel it a lot more now, only the thin fabric of his boxers was in the way. She didn’t want it in the way, she wanted gone.

Her hand slipped inside his boxers, finally having what she desperately wanted. Giving his cock warm and full stoke.

“This okay?” She asked.

 _Fuck yes._ He wanted to say _._

But instead, his whole body leaned closer to her. His lips were kissing her widely now, messy and we. Lips, jaw, neck. Damn, her neck. His hand in the back of her neck pulling her closer as he buried his head at her neck, sucking her skin as gently as he could, considering how lost he was right now with everything she was making him feel. His hips moving along her stokes, slowly fucking her hand.

Chris used his precum from his leaking cock as lube. His cock was warm under her touch, pulsing, just like she was for him. It felt good. It felt fucking good to touch him like this.

His hand that was caressing and squeezing her ass cheek underneath her shorts, was now finding his way to her pussy, touching it and rubbing it gently before his fingers opened her pussy lips. Rekkles nearly lost it, he moaned and thrust his cock into her hand a little harder at the feeling of her wetness through his fingers.

They were both letting themselves get lost in pleasure. The feel of Rekkles’s fingers inside her, stroking, probing her, was driving her crazy. And Rekkles was almost going delirious by her moans and the way she kept stroking him.

But Chris suddenly let go of his cock, her hand clenching at the sleeve of his shirt when she feels the orgasm approaching. Her little whimpers and moans making Rekkles’s cock twitch. At that moment, he only cared about her, about making her feel good, about making her cum. He swallowed the delicious noises she was making, lips parted, heart racing, he breathed her in. He wanted everything she was willing to give him.

He feels her cumming. Her body trembled as the orgasm hit her like a wave. Rekkles moves his fingers in circles ever so slowly in the sensitive area. Her hand moves to his, she didn’t stop him or took his hand out, but she kept her hand in his.

Rekkles gives her slow and soft kisses. He watched her as her body finally calmed down from the orgasm. He licked and nibbled her lips, teasing her.

“Good?” He whispered.

She opened her eyes smiling. “Mhm,” she hums in response.

He let his fingers rest on her pussy as they ran over each lip, receiving a light gasp from Chris from the feeling. He smiles and started to remove his hand and bringing it up to his lips, tasting it. And just like that, his cock reacts again. Their eyes focused on one another. Chris watched him, mesmerized by his actions. She leans forward to catch his lips, somehow surprising Rekkles, she could taste herself in his tongue. They moaned. Rekkles pulled her close, deepening the kiss.

Her hand reached for his cock again, stroking a few times at a slow pace but the moment didn’t ask for slow, it asked for a release. Fast and hard. Rekkles agreed because his body moved in rhythm with her strokes. Wanting more, needing more. He didn’t want this to end but for the look of it, he wouldn’t last long. He breaks the kiss but didn’t move away. Their noses brushing, their breathing mingling...

“Close?” She asked.

“Yeah” His voice shaky, eyes closing.

Chris kissed him passionately before pulling away, “No... wait, where you...” Rekkles tries to focus but his mind is filled with lust and desire.

“I’m not going far” She reassures him.

Next second he feels the warmth around his cock. He arched his head back into the pillow, and honest to God, he didn’t know how he didn’t cum right there. Chris kept stroking the base while her tongue and lips played around with his shaft. Long, soft and steady strokes were making Rekkles breathe heavily, his hand reaching out for Chris, to touch her, to feel her skin to maybe, just maybe, calm him down and ground him. He caressed her arm and shoulder before his hand rested behind her neck, putting her hair back as well to have a good view of what she was doing. And fuck, it was something he would never forget. Chris taking him completely. She didn’t seem to struggle with it, felt like she was made for it.

For him.

“Fuck, that feels good...” He caught himself saying.

Chris hums at the praise and with how hot it is to hear him saying _fuck_ like that, with a hoarse voice, feeling breathless.

“Chris...” He moaned and his grip on her hair grew tighter as he thrust his hips to fuck her mouth while she continued to work on his cock. She pumps and sucks him faster and he moaned a little louder, “Baby, I’m gonna cum...”

His body shook under a little gasp of pleasure as he cums. Head laid back and eyes closed, trying to catch his breath. Once his mind allows him to focus again, he immediately feels Chris’s warm mouth still around him, licking him clean.

Once she’s satisfied, she slowly pulls his boxer up along with his pants to cover him.  “You didn’t have to do that...” He whispered.

“I know I didn't,” She makes her way back to him, finding Rekkles already leaned forward to hold her and pull her close. “I just really wanted to.” She said, her thumb softly tracing his lips but then her eyes searched for his. His cheeks are flushed but didn’t take long until his smirk started to show again before he leaned in, chasing her lips.

Rekkles could taste himself on her tongue. He never thought about it before, never thought about feeling this pleased and aroused by the taste of his cum on her lips and tongue.

“I taste good on you...” He hums in response, blushing from the confession.

 _God_ , Chris thought, _how can someone be this adorable and sexy at the same time?_

She chuckled softly, “yeah?”

Rekkles only nods, charging in for yet another kiss. Chris reached to touch his hair, carding her fingers through it as a small part of it was falling to the side, still a little damp from the shower. Rekkles smiled, he liked the feeling of having her do that. He liked everything about her. She deepened the kiss, pulling him closer and Rekkles happily complied.

 

 

 

 

“I was wondering, what’s your favorite flower?” He asked after a while, almost before drifting off to sleep. Their noses brushing together and the random question made Chris give a lazy smile in return.

“Tulips,” She said, and by the look on his face, it wasn’t exactly the answer he was expecting. She chuckled, “What?”

“Nothing...”

“You thought it would be roses, didn’t you? Red roses like the whole valentine’s love bouquet cliché.” She smiled, amused.

Rekkles smiled back but didn’t disagree. He brushed his nose against hers again, softly. “Why tulips?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I like how it looks and their singularity. I mean, one single flower says just as much compared to a bouquet. It can mean just as much. And I guess any flower would be able to send that kind of message but I never felt that with other flowers. I’m not really a flower type of person, but I always had a thing for tulips.” She explains a little embarrassed.

“It’s a beautiful flower.” He says. Thumb stroking her cheek gently.

Chris melts under his touch and smiles coyly. “You know, I read somewhere that tulips are considered a declaration of love.”

“Oh really?” He chuckled lightly, leaning over to nibble her lower lip.

“Mhm.” The kiss now moving to his jaw, “You know what else?” Her fingers brushing against his jawline and down his chin, “I like this beard of yours right here...”

Rekkles scoffed, “I can’t fucking grow the beard, not completely I mean, only there below my chin and a little on the side here. I think that’s all I’m ever going to get.”

Chris continued to contemplate his beard with her gentle fingers, “I like how it is.” She whispered. “I like how it feels on my skin when you kiss me...”

He smiled lovingly, surging up on his elbow enough to look down at her, “When I kiss you here?” He asked. His fingertip ghosting a line over her neck.

Chris nods and Rekkles smirks. _Fuck_ , she loves that smirk of his.

Rekkles leaned in to kiss at the spot, little kisses, teasing kisses, and when she hummed in response he went further, the kisses turning into sucking, Rekkles made sure she felt his beard scratching her skin. Chris gasped and moaned in his ear and he sighed in content.

“I like it too, then.” He told her.

They kissed until they drifted off to sleep, cuddled up in each other.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This year loss at Worlds was worst than 2017 - in my opinion. They were so close :( but they did amazing overall. Played beautifully to the last second. I'm proud to support such a team. #alwaysfnatic

When Rekkles woke up, the room is quiet, only the dim light coming from her nightstand. Chris is still sleeping next to him, now as the little spoon. He isn’t sure how much time has passed, as the curiosity gets the best of him, he very carefully placed a kiss on her cheek and starts moving out of the bed. He searched for his phone, which was still in the living room.

He sighed as he walked there, quickly gathering his stuff and checking the time. It was past 3 am now. He found a few text messages from sOAZ. For Rekkles surprise, sOAZ wasn’t angry or worried, he knew exactly where Rekkles was, so there wasn’t anything to worry about. The texts were simply a caring gesture from a friend.

 **Paul:** If I didn’t know where you were, I would actually say you are missing out these fools making a scene, trying to sing.  
          **Paul:** Dylan asked about you. I got your back.  
          **Paul:** We will be going back to the house soon but no one feels like sleeping.

And for his amusement, there was one from Caps as well.

 **Rasmus:** Tell Chris I said hi!! :D

Rekkles laughed softly. Caps seemed to really like Chris. He read the texts as he made his way back to the room, being as quiet as he could to not wake Chris from her sleep. He looked over her making sure she wasn’t disturbed. Smiled as he watched her sleep. And he smiled again thinking of all the times he watched her sleep. Something he found he quite enjoyed doing it.

He walked over to the side and took a picture. He would show her the photo later, of course.

Maybe.

He lowered his phone, looking around the room again. He realized he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings before. There were a few books at her desk, along with her laptop and a bunch of files and papers on top of it. But something beside the small lamp caught his eye. It was the other copy of the photobooth picture they took on their first date, and not far behind the small lamp, was Rekky. The stuffed lion he helped her win.

Rekkles was in awe. He looked over her again, wanting nothing more than to just lay there and be with her. And that’s exactly what he did. He took off his pants to feel more comfortable, before slowly going back under the covers to his previous position as the big spoon, his arm automatically going over her waist.

Chris was warm. Her body against his was warm and inviting. Her shirt was pulled up a little by her movements during the night, and for that, he already loved that shirt. His hand moving without his permission, caressing her waist, over her belly, and back to her waist. His face buried on her neck, nosing her shoulder line, breathing her scent.

Rekkles tried to go back to sleep. He really did. But it was _hard_.

 _He_ was hard.

He pulled her close as he pressed his hips against her ass. His body was reacting without him thinking through. _If that’s all it takes, I’m in serious trouble down the line,_ he sighs, trying to regain some control over his body.

But he felt Chris move, letting out a very soft moan, reaching for his hand and placing it over her chest. He could feel her breathing as she kissed his fingers, now intertwined with hers.

Rekkles pressed his hips a little harder this time, hiding his face on the back of her neck, almost ashamed of his needs. Chris moaned again, louder this time. Fully awake.

She turns her face to find Rekkles looking her way, with the bluest eyes she has ever seen on him. He meets her halfway for a loving kiss as she turns her body completely towards him. Rekkles slowly makes his way on top of her, deepening the kiss.

He grinds his body against hers, and Rekkles is overwhelmed by how right this feels, how good they fit together, how she so easily gives what he wants and needs, because she is feeling the same, and for that Rekkles is overwhelmed all over again.

Her hands play with the waistband of his boxer, letting her both hands slide inside a little, giving a naughty squeeze on his ass cheeks as Rekkles keeps his steady pace, rocking his body back and forth against hers. He only breaks the kiss to move down her neck. Open and sloppy kisses. They both give each other soft moans and whimpers.

Rekkles gently reached down her thigh, pulling it up a little bit as he gives firm but soft strokes while Chris’s hands go underneath his shirt wandering all the way up to his shoulders, having her just as desperate to touch and feel his skin, sends shivers all over his body.

He pulls away, standing on his knees to remove his shirt off completely, and for a moment there, Chris couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She then moves to sit position, stroking the bulge over his pants, kissing the edge of his boxer waistband and his skin.

She slowly moves to kneel in front of him. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” She praised him, pressing her palms against the hard wall of his chest and up to his broad shoulders, trailing kisses down his neck and along with his collarbone.

“I’ve never seen you work out. Where have you been hiding?” Chris murmured, mostly to herself, never stopping the trail of kisses down his torso.

Rekkles let his head fall back slightly at the feeling of Chris’s lips at his nipples, “I have some equipment in my room...” He whispered.

She trailed down to his outright sinful abs, “In your room, huh?” She asked, kissing his bellybutton and licking her way lower as she finally pulled his boxers down, letting his cock free. Rekkles steadied himself with his hands on her shoulders, massaging lightly, without much focus.

“I don’t like gyms so much so I rather do it alone...” He tried to say but with a husky voice, close to snap, one hand at the back of her neck. He moaned. “Fuck. I- I don’t wanna talk about that when you have your mouth around my cock.”

Chris had to smile, daring to send a naughty look his way. She was loving it this side of Rekkles, the shameless side, the side that felt comfortable to share what he was feeling or thinking. He was watching her, lips parted.

“What _do_ you wanna talk about?” She asked with a small grin before going back to the task in hand; his thick and delicious cock. Starting with the tip first, sucking it softly.

“How beautiful you look right now...” He says, his thumb stroking her cheek gently as she continues to move, taking more of him on each go, “How amazing your mouth feels... fuck...”

Chris hummed softly, and the vibration sent down to his cock made Rekkles growl, and his grip on her hair tightened when the head of his cock hit the back of her throat. He had to stop this right now or he was gonna cum in her mouth again in the next 5 seconds.

“Come here.” He swallowed hard. Pulling her up to charge his mouth on hers, sliding his tongue over her lips before dipping inside for a taste, then thrusting his tongue into hers. He wanted to kiss her. But he wanted to kiss her... everywhere. And he was gonna take his time with it, letting his lips worship every inch of her skin he could reach. “It’s my turn.”

Chris heard his voice husky with desire, an electrical charge shooting through her pussy and to every nerve ending in between. She smiles when his hands squeeze her breasts lightly underneath the shirt, she lifts her arms giving permission to take it off and Rekkles eagerly does so.

He started at her lips, kissing it softly, then moved to her jaw and down her neck, leaving some light red marks at his path, Chris didn’t seem to mind, in fact, she seemed to enjoy it quite a bit based on her moans. He continues the kisses over her collarbone, his hands teasing over her nipples before he licked and nibbled both of them gently.

She felt his teeth gently pulling her nipples, making it hard. Chris could feel herself getting wetter by the second. She moves back to lay down on the bed, pulling Rekkles with her and let him fall against her. Their lips met again in a passionate kiss and their bodies pressed against each other causing both of them to break the kiss and moan.

Rekkles took his time across her stomach, running his tongue down her side. He pulls down her shorts down, revealing her gorgeous naked form laid down in front of him. He licked his lips and his cock twitched in response. Taking a deep breath to regain focus, he couldn’t believe this was actually happening and that he had a girlfriend and his girlfriend was Chris. He felt lucky... and extremely aroused.

He pushed her thighs apart but only give her the softest kiss on her clit. He can see how wet Chris is but continued at her thigh, giving it soft bites and kisses, then again at the other thigh. Chris looked down at him and smiled, shyly. She watched his eyes darkened when she pushed herself on her elbows, reaching him with her hand to brush her thumb over his lips.

Rekkles never felt quite like this before. His first time wasn’t like this, he didn’t feel this hungry or this hard for someone. He found himself sucking her thumb, gently. She smiled again. Laying back down on the bed.

That was it for Rekkles. All the permission he could ever ask for.

His warm breath right above her pussy, making her squirm with anticipation, and a moment later she finally felt his mouth on her pussy for the first time. Rekkles start passionately making out with her clit just as he would kiss her lips. Firm but gentle. His lips and tongue entering a dance with her clip, it’s a slow dance, it’s not rushed.

He wants to enjoy her. Wants her to enjoy all the little sensations on his mouth on her. There will be a time for her to cum but not yet. Rekkles can already hear Chris’ sweet little moans, that’s when he presses down his tongue massaging into her clit, wide, swiping strokes, using the entire surface of his tongue, up and down, from side to side.

Her moans increasing as she runs her fingers through his hair.

Rekkles teases her with different speeds, slow at first then escalating the speed to go faster until she has a hard time keeping it quiet. Wrapping one arm across her stomach to keep her in place, going back to slow until she calms down, only to build her up again.

Over and over.

 _Fuck_. Rekkles liked this. He liked tasting her more than he thought he would. A lot more. His leaking cock was a living proof of that. He was beyond hard, cock already aching for release. But what Rekkles wanted to taste the most was her orgasm.

His tongue swallowed her clit one last time, sealed within his lips, as he sucked on her clit in a pulsing sensation, not hard but enough to feel a gentle tugging, drawing her into his mouth. Pressing his tongue against the inside of his lips, he slides from side to side, brushing against the top of her clit as the sucking sensation is still pulsating.

Rekkles keeps sucking her. Licking her. Kissing her. Eating her... until he can’t hear the difference between her moans and whimpers anymore.

She’s almost there. Her hand grabbing his hair and pulling his face down into her. It makes Rekkles moan in result, vibrating into her clit. He feels when it happens, and kept going as every wave of her orgasm spreads throughout her whole body.

“Fuck” She whispered, still out of breath. “I’m seeing stars...”

Rekkles chuckled, placing soft kisses above her pussy, then on her thighs before slowly crawling back on top of her.

They kissed. Long and hard. It was becoming his favorite type of kiss.

“You taste as good as you look, baby,” He whispered, “And I bet being inside you feels even better.”

Chris grabbed his shoulders and shuddered as he left a trail of kisses down her neck. Her hand reached for his cock, guiding him to her entrance. He paused. “You sure?” He searched for her eyes.

“Fuck yes” She breathed. There was no need to hide how much she wanted this, to feel him completely.

They both knew what they wanted.

Rekkles kissed her before his rock-hard cock slowly slides into her. They both moan when it happens. He kissed her again, soft and tenderly at first, swallowing all those delicious sounds she was making. Then, she felt his tongue probing the inside of her mouth. His hand went behind her neck and the pressure of his lips on hers got harder. Passionate and intense. Chris pulling him closer with her legs around his waist as he thrust into her at a steady pace. Each thrust felt deeper than the last.

She held onto him. Fingers running free through his hair, pulling him firmly against her lips, continuing to kiss him with fervor, starving and desperate for more. Chris nipped on Rekkles lower lip before releasing it, and the sting made him push deeper.

“Fuck” He moaned between thrusts. Licking his sore lip.

Chris gasped when she realized what she did, “Damn, did I hurt you?”

Rekkles chuckled softly, slowing down his pace, “No, it’s okay”

“I got carried away,” she kissed his lips softly “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I liked it...” He gives her another kiss, and another as he picks up his pace again, her legs pulling him in, inviting him, encouraging him... needing him. She kissed down his neck, wet and sloppy kisses quickly turning into light sucks.

“I like that too.” Rekkles moaned. He loved how it felt, having their body pressed together, how her breasts felt flushed hard against his chest with nipples straining for his touch. His mouth roamed through her neck to do the same thing she was doing to him, licking on her skin, giving it gentle bites, nipping her earlobe. “I like everything you do.”

Her gasps and moans and needy kisses were putting him on edge.

He thrust hard.

Chris throws her head back as she let out another moan, filled with pleasure, and Rekkles watched her, gently stroking the smooth skin of her cheek, collarbone and down her breasts, losing his mind as he felt Chris’ hard nipples against his palm.

Soon, his lips were down her breasts, engulfing one of her nipples on a passionate suck as she arched her back once more. He let it go, slowly grazing his teeth through her breasts as she moaned his name like a mantra, her nails digging into his shoulders.

“How serious were you about wanting me to leave marks on you?” She asked, fascinated by how beautiful he looked right now, on top of her, with his whole face flushed.

His eyes darkened, “Very.”

“Don’t stop,” She told him.

He thrust harder as he wickedly smiled at her, slamming against her over and over, hands grabbing her breasts, mouth on her neck, lightly biting as he heard her scream, moan, whine... beg. His cock was so perfectly in sync with her body movements, that soon enough her legs were shaking, mouth open in a silent moan. And as Rekkles kept fucking her to oblivion, she couldn’t hold it anymore, her nails trail down his shoulders to his back as she came. Rekkles followed shortly after it, only a few more thrusts as he chased his own orgasm. The headboard was slamming against the wall, slightly.

Chris wondered if it was loud enough to bother the neighbors but that worry completely slipped her mind when she heard the sinful sound Rekkles made when he came.

His gorgeous body collapsed on top of her. The room was now quiet, the only sound was coming from them, still out of breath. She was too weak to move. Truth be told, she didn’t wanna move. She just enjoyed this moment. This post-orgasmic bliss.

Chris had her eyes closed when she felt Rekkles kiss behind her ear, warm breath on her ear as he whispered, “I wanna do that again.”

She smiled, body still lightly shaking. “Was thinking the same thing.”

 

 

 

 

"It's still early... I think will be safe to go back to the house."

Rekkles told Chris, who's just gotten a quick shower and it was now brushing her teeth. the feeling of normality washed over him once again as he stands at the foot of the bed, putting his pants back on.

Chris leaves the bathroom, wearing just a loose shirt and panties, and slowly make her way to him "Oh, I see, now that you got what you wanted... it’s time to leave."

Rekkles froze. His heart stopped for what it felt like an eternity. Was she serious? Did he really give her that impression?? “Oh my God, Chris, no! That’s not...” Before he could try and explain what he meant he saw her smiling...

"I'm kidding, Martin. Relax." She giggled softly.

He pulled her closer, "Don’t do that! Jesus..." 

She laughed, "I'm sorry." 

He let her go, looking around searching for his shirt.

"You know," She said, "I like how it looks too."

He looked over his shoulder "How what look?"

"The marks on your back" she stepped closer, kissing his shoulder blades, gently caressing his back and the red marks trailing to his side. 

He doesn't stop her. He let her touch him, let her have anything she wants from him. "Take a picture and show it to me?" he asked, quietly.

She smiled, "Where's your phone?" 

"There, at the nightstand."

She quickly picks up and takes two pictures of his broad back and the marks that both of them seemed to like so much. "Look."

Rekkles turned to look at the screen. He smirked, and to his contentment, he saw her doing the same as if she was proud that she put it there. He leaned in and kissed her. It was meant to be a chaste kiss, but he was starting to realize that nothing involving Chris would ever be chaste, in a wonderful way. He let his phone fall in bed as he deepened the kiss. Her hands wandering over his ribcage, already driving him crazy. He gently gave a few taps over her ass before grabbing it and pulling her against him.

"Martin..."

"Hm?" He hums, now kissing her neck.

"You were the one who said we should get going."

"I also remember saying I wanted to do it again..."

She laughed softly, carding her hand through his hair, letting him continue to give her the kisses she loved. He picked her up by her waist and she immediately put her legs around him before falling against the mattress. 

"I took a photo of you too..." He says between kisses.

"You did? When?"

"When you were sleeping" he confessed, meeting her eyes.

"Can I see it?"

He grabbed his phone again, which was a few inches away from them, searched at his gallery and showed it to her. "Sorry if I crossed a line taking a picture without you knowing... I just couldn't help myself."

She was still looking at the picture, still not reacting, but then she smiled and found his icy blue eyes already looking at her. "You didn't cross any line. You can take any photo you want, I don’t mind. Just let me know when you do, I’d like to see it."

"I will." He kissed her lips, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Something I probably should’ve asked earlier...”

Chris looked at Rekkles, watching his face, looking worried, she frowned. “What is it?”

“We didn’t use a condom... I should’ve mentioned before things went any further, but being with you that way... I honestly couldn’t think about anything else other than being with you. Was our first time, you know? Kind of a big deal for me, for us. But I wanted to ask, if...”

“If we are safe?” Chris finished for him.

He nods, with a shy gaze.

“Yeah, we are safe. I’m taking birth control pills for reasons that have nothing to do with sex, honestly.” She said and Rekkles gave her a questioning look. “It helps control my hormones and such.”

“Okay.” He said softly.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve said something before too but I was too lost in you to think straight.” They smiled and Chris noticed the hour on his phone. It was already 5 am. "Come on. I will drive you back..."

"Noooo."

 

 

 

 

“Wanna drive? The house isn’t that far away...” She offered when leaving her place and heading for her car.

“No, it’s okay. I like when you drive.” Rekkles said.

Chris noticed how quickly he dismissed the request, she stops by her door, keys in hands as she leans her arms at the hood. He stops by the other side, catching her gaze.

“What?”

“You don’t know how to drive, do you?”

Rekkles face is blank but he breaks down seconds later, giving her his half smile half smirk. It makes her laugh fondly when he doesn’t answer, not so much with words, anyway.

“You could’ve just said so, you know...” Chris says softly as she opens the door to get inside, Rekkles do the same.

“In my defense, I don’t really have a real reason to learn how to drive at the moment. We always have cars to take us anywhere, and when there isn’t, we take a cab. Places are usually close to the house, too.”

Chris smiles, “I’m not judging, Martin. There’s no problem about not knowing how to drive.” She could feel Rekkles eyes on her as she drove. “Would you like to? I mean, is that something you want to learn?”

She gives him a quick look, he seemed to be considering it. “Yeah, I guess.” He says.

“I can teach you” She immediately says. “I swear, there’s no big secret. It’s easy once you get the hang of it. I could... you know, help you get the hang of it.”

He smiled, watching her excited about something that for him wasn’t all that important but the fact she wanted to do this with him and for him, meant quite a lot. “If you really don’t mind, I would like that, yeah.”

“Really?” She beamed at him.

“Yeah, really.” He laughed softly.

“That’s awesome. I can’t wait!” She told him, “You know, I don’t like to brag but I am an excellent teacher, ok? I’m patient, I keep my calm, I love driving and I can give you tips or explain to you how it works for me because after that you will find your own style.”

“My style? I will have a style while driving?” He asked amused.

She chuckled, “Well, I have. I mean, yeah okay, like, some people like to drive like maniacs. Always over the speed limit and not giving a shit about others driving around them. I’m not like that. I like driving fast on occasion but I’m always careful. I never put myself in danger’s way, especially if I have someone in the car with me.”

“That’s good to know,” He said, she glanced at him quickly before looking at the road again, “I get what you’re saying.”

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, both comfortable in each other’s presence. Rekkles felt slightly annoyed by how quick the drive went. Chris was right, it wasn’t that far away. Chris parked the car and turned off the ignition. Neither of them moved. This was familiar. Being in the car not wanting to say goodbye.

Rekkles released his seat belt and Chris did the same, turning her head to look at him. Neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other, hoping their eyes could say what they didn’t know how to _._ Rekkles moves his hand to caress her cheek, slowly, as he watches her lean into his touch. _I don’t want to go without you_.

“Last night meant everything to me.” He whispers between her lips, hands still holding her face close, “I don’t know if- if I was... I mean, I have only been with one person, before you, and that was years ago and I just...”

Chris quickly interrupted him, making sure he had nothing to worry about. “You were amazing, Martin. You were caring, considerate, thoughtful **.** Every time you touched me and kissed me, you made me feel so special. And I don’t mean just last night, and well, technically this morning too,” She said and Rekkles hid his face on her shoulder, blushing. Chris smiles, whispering in his ear, “You make me feel special and precious and adored and happy! So so happy and I only hope I made you feel the same way...”

He slowly pulled back, searching her eyes, “You did. Fuck, you _do_ , Chris.”

Rekkles kissed her through the light smile still lingering on her lips. It was something else whenever Rekkles use curse words. He doesn’t curse a lot, he is polite that way, but Chris wonders if he realizes how his tone of voice changes when it happens, how intense he gets, how damn sexy he sounds...

“I haven’t been with anyone else in a long time and there weren’t many before you either. But it doesn’t matter the ones before us. What matters is you and me from now on, yeah?”

“Yeah, definitely.” He breathes out, nodding.

She watches him getting ready to say something else but nothing came. His hands not letting her go as his eyes lowered to her lips, pensive expression.

“What is it? Talk to me...”  She says gently.

“It’s just...” He starts, taking a deep breath, gathering the courage to meet her gaze again. “The tournament will be long. I will be gone a long time, Chris, and I just, I don’t know, I don’t want anything to change. I don’t want us to drift apart, I will be all the way in China and you will be back at the States, is a big fucking distance–”

“Baby, breathe.” She soothed him, leaning their foreheads together, and he does what he was told. “Nothing will change. We will talk every day, and if we can’t, we leave messages to each other. I don’t care what hour if you want to leave a msg or try to call me, do it, okay? I will be watching the games, I will be in contact with Dylan too to check how’s everything is going. Trust me, I will be there with you guys, just not in person.”

Rekkles didn’t like it, he would never like the fact she wasn’t going with them. But he nodded. He didn’t like it but understood her reasons.

They kiss goodbye, a long and loving goodbye kiss before Rekkles leaves the car, but he doesn’t go far, he sees Dylan walking over from down the street. Rekkles look over to Chris, who is still sitting in her car watching Dylan approach.

“There you guys are!”

Chris is smiling when she stepped out of the car, and Rekkles makes his way back to stand next to her. “Hi, Dylan.”

“Isn’t it a little early for shopping?” Rekkles asked, looking over all the bags he was carrying.

“Well, if you two were here, you would know that we are having a party.”

“Party? Really?”

“Yeah, we didn’t want the night to end quite yet, so we stayed talking and drinking and playing around, but we ran out of snacks and drinks, so I did a quick run to the store. Just got back.”

“Oh, that’s nice. You guys have time to rest at all before the flight?”

“Time enough,” Dylan says, calmly. “Martin, do you mind taking the bags inside? I want to talk with Chris for a minute.”

Rekkles gave Chris a look as if asking for her consent. She nodded. Rekkles nodded in return, mouthing ‘bye’ as he takes the bags and makes his way inside.

And it soon as he got in, he was stunned by what he saw. A beer pong table set up right in the middle of the living room. sOAZ and Jesiz talking next to the table, distractedly. He could hear the music blasting through the house mixed with chatting and laughter all around.

“Hey! You’re back.” Caps showed up in front of him with a big goofy smile on his face.

“Oh, hey, hi... yeah, just got back, oh, okay, you want the bags, alright,” Rekkles said, watching Caps taking the bags and head to the kitchen.

“Don’t take it personally, he was the one who made Dylan go to the store in the first place,” sOAZ explained as Rekkles joined them at the table.

“Where is Dylan, by the way?” Jesiz asked.

“Outside, talking with Chris.”

“About what?”

“I wish I knew...” He murmured.

sOAZ chuckled. “Oh man, that must be killing you”

“It’s not!” Rekkles lied, “I’m just curious. Can’t a guy get curious to know what your coach and your girlfriend are talking about?”

“That sounds more like jealousy,” Jesiz stated.

“Shut up. It’s pure curiosity.” Rekkles rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Dylan didn’t seem mad or upset but he had kind of a serious expression when he asked to talk to her.”

“I’m sure it’s just managing stuff... nothing we should worry about it too much,” sOAZ told him, with his calm voice as usual.

“Chill, Martin.” Caps said, showing up again out of nowhere, “Here, have a drink. I just made it.”

“What is it?”

“Drink it.”

“What is it?”

“Drink the damn thing, Martin...” Caps said, losing his patience but without any heat in his voice.

Rekkles sighed, giving sOAZ a quick glance to find him already smiling with the situation. If it was dangerous, someone would say something, right? He took a sip. “Oooh. It’s strong.”

“Is it? Taste fine to me...” Caps said intrigued, taking another taste from his own glass.

sOAZ laughed, “Yeah, because it’s your tenth glass tonight. At least!”

“Don’t be so dramatic, I only had a few.” He told sOAZ and then turned to Rekkles with a pout, “I actually can’t remember how many...”

Rekkles snorted and then took another small sip of the drink, “It tastes good, though.”

Caps smiled, proudly.

 

 

 

  

By the time Chris and Dylan were back, everyone was gathered at the living room near the couch.

“Chris!” Mads yelled, waving her to come closer, his voice clearly showing he’s having a good time. He barely waits for her to approach, “You’re Brazilian, right?”

“I am, yes.”

“What does Broxah means in Portuguese?”

Everyone was silent after he asked, almost expecting her to confirm his suspicions. The question makes Chris chuckle immediately. “I think you’re better off without knowing it...” She said, sitting on the couch next to him.

He laughs, “I think I know, I mean, fans from Brazil told me and I just wanted to confirm with you...”

“Okay, uh, the word _broxa_ means when the guy...” She smirks, “...can’t get it up.”

The rest of the guys who were still paying full attention barked out laughing at Broxah. “Dude, that says a lot.”  “How do you know??”  “His name says it all!”  “I don’t wanna be you right now, man.”  “I don’t wanna be him ever!!”

“You guys can all shut up. I’m not ashamed of my username. It can mean that in Brazil and that’s fine.” He says, really not minding his friends trolling him about it, then he turns to Chris again, “But, I’m not.”

Chris snorted, raising her hands in a defensive gesture, “I never thought you were, Mads.”

“Okay,” He said slowly, blushing.

After a few more minutes bullying Broxah about the meaning of his username, the guys were off to do their own thing, distracted talking among themselves, playing beer pong or simply chatting while having a drink.

Broxah turned his attention to Chris. “It’s good to see you here. I’m glad you could make it.”

“Yeah, me too. We didn’t know you guys were having a party.”

“We?”

“Oh, uh... me and Martin.” She blushed and Broxah smiled, “Dylan showed up few minutes after I got here to drop Martin off, and told me about the party and invited me in.”

“So that’s where he disappeared after dinner.” Chris shyly nods, “I’m happy for both of you.”

“Yeah?” She asked, sounding hopeful.

“Yeah, I mean it,” Broxah reassured her.

“Thank you, Mads.” As silly as it was, it meant a lot for her to have the boy’s approval.

Broxah scooted a little closer to her, “Are you really not coming with us?”

“No... but I will be watching the games and you can message me anytime, okay? We can still talk if you want.”

He nodded. “I would like that. I will miss you as my running partner.”

“Me too. But you still got Rasmus, though.”  She teased

Broxah snorted, “Yay me.”

“Oh come on, Rasmus is not that bad.”

“Are you kidding me?? Have you met Rasmus? He is a pain in the ass to get out of bed in the morning. I feel like a babysitter, telling him what to eat for breakfast before we meet you.” Broxah explained, unable to contain his smile, making Chris smile too.

“I think that’s adorable of your part.” She said truthfully.

“It’s a pain in the ass, that’s what it is.” He joked.

“What are you guys talking about? I heard my name...” Caps said, stepping closer to where they are. He sits at the little table in front of Broxah and Chris. Rekkles and sOAZ followed moments later to sit next to Caps, with some drink on their hands. Rekkles offered Chris one, which she gladly accepted.

“We said his name too many times...” Broxah whispered to Chris, making her chuckle.

“What? Are you bullying me again?” Caps nudged Broxah’s knee, “Don’t you bully me or I will call you Broxa from now on...” He quickly looks at Chris, “Did I say that right?” She simply nods and gives him a thumbs up. He looked back to Broxah, “So, why did I hear my name?”

“I was just telling Chris how much I hate having you as a running partner,” Broxah said, smiling.

“Oh,” Caps looked at Chris again, with a smile of his own. “That’s true. He really does.”

Not long after that Dylan and Jesiz joined too, everyone made a little circle in the living room, so everybody could look at everybody and still talk without excluding the other person. And for quite some time the conversation went smoothly. Was nearly 8 am now. The music volume was low, just enough not to bother anyone, and Chris started to think that was time for her to leave.

But the group had other plans.

“Chris, how old are you?” Caps asked, distractedly. Chris stopped her drink halfway to her lips, caught off guard.

“Smooth, Rasmus,” Dylan said from a chair not far from Broxah, shaking his head in disapproval.

“What?" He asked confused, then turned to Chris. "I mean, is just a question...” Caps told her, sounding like a kicked puppy. Everyone seemed quite curious to know, truth be told. Even Rekkles didn’t know, he never had the nerve to actually ask. He thought the topic would come up eventually and he would ask her about her birthday.

She chuckled, “It’s fine, Rasmus. I’m 27.” She answered softly, without hesitation. Her eyes glancing through the boys, Dylan was smiling along with sOAZ. Broxah, Jesiz, and Caps looked slightly surprised. And then it was Rekkles turn. 

Chris couldn't tell if he was surprised or not by the look on his precious face. He just watched her. Those big and deep blue eyes admiring her from his seat, with a loving expression, almost proud.

“You don’t look 27.” Caps said, a matter of factly.

“No?” She asked amused. It certainly wasn't the first time she heard that.

“No. I mean, you look our age, or even younger.” Caps tried to explain himself.

“I feel like you are making me a compliment, so, uh, thank you?”

“It is! It is a compliment.” He pressed.

"You're just digging a deeper hole now, man." Rekkles told him. His voice serious but at the corner of his mouth, Chris saw a little smirk already slipping away.

"But-"

Chris laughed and stopped him to go any further, “Thank you, Rasmus. Though, is not something I like it very much...”

“Why not?” Jesiz sounded curious. “I thought it was every girl’s dream? To look younger.”

She sighs, and Rekkles answered before she could. “It's harder for her to be taken seriously.” 

Chris smiled. The already had a similar talk about this and it made her extremely happy that he remembered it. “Exactly. Especially when you have to deal with people that have years of experience ahead of you, they look at me and see a teenager. A kid playing grown up. I don’t know... It can be very frustrating at times.”

“Did you feel frustrated here?” Broxah asked, gently.

“No.” She reassured him.

“Good.” He smiled.

"Chris, if you don’t mind me asking," sOAZ spoke carefully, “Where will you go after we leave to China?” 

“Back to the States.” She simply answered.

“What about Brazil?”

She lowered her eyes, “It's been a while since I went back to visit...”

“Aren’t your parents there?” Broxah also wanted to know.

“No. They are still living in the States, somewhere.” She muttered. Rekkles frowned, worried. He knew this was a delicate topic for her.

“You don’t have contact with them?” Caps asked.

“No.” She said, “Haven’t in a while.”

“Why?”

“Rasmus.” Rekkles scolded him. He knew Caps were curious, they all were, but Rekkles also knew this was something Chris didn’t enjoy to talk about.

Caps was surprised by his reaction and felt bad immediately when he noticed Chris sad gaze at her hands over her lap. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to pry...”

“I know. I, uh, it’s just... I haven’t spoken to my mother since I turned 18, packed my bags and left.” Her voice came in a low whisper, yet, it hit everyone hard.

“Holy shit, Chris.” Caps said, his hands gently touched her knees. Giving his support.

She took a deep breath, “We never saw eye an eye. Always fighting. The more she tried to control me the more I wanted to get away. And that’s exactly what I did and I never looked back.” Her sad eyes finally meeting the young boys in front of her, “My father and I, we got along okay for most of the time. We talk a few times a year, you know, to make sure we are both okay. But I almost never visit. I haven’t visited the rest of my family in Brazil either, I just, I don’t know, I disconnected myself from all of them. Was easier for me that way, easier not to miss them, and nowadays... there’s nothing left to miss.”

When she finished explaining, the group fell silent. Taking all in. Letting her reality sink in. Rekkles moves from his spot to squeeze himself next to her. One arm going around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

“I’m... really sorry...” Caps honestly said. “It’s weird you know, I mean, my parents are always on my case. Like, they always call me or send me things, they even go watch me play at the games whenever they can. It’s crazy. Sometimes I feel like they are my fans, makes sense? I’m not saying I don’t like it, but can get embarrassing at times.”

The whiny tone in Caps voice at the end made Chris laugh. “They are just being supportive of you. If they do all that, Rasmus, means they are proud of you and what you do.”

“Yeah... I mean, I know. I really do.” He said, pensive. Then a smile cracks open again. “They are pretty cool.”

The group laughs softly. The air now not so heavy.

 “My parents don’t watch the games so much. I don’t think they understand it. To be honest I think they hate games” sOAZ shared, smiling. “But they do call from time to time to know how’s everything is going. Where I am and everything. We text more than call...”

Jesiz nods and quickly adds, “Yeah. Mine are the same, actually.”

Broxah smiles, obviously thinking about his own family, “My mom says she watch it, but I’m sure she has no idea what’s going on the entire time...” He laughs, “But she makes sure to tell me she’s watching the transmission.”

Rekkles squeeze her hands, still over her lap. “My mom and sister, they are pretty supportive too. They started coming to the games now, at the semi-finals or final, when they can. They call or tag me at their social media. Even my father... which is a little weird but also good.”

 “Well, my parents don’t quite understand what I do, but they are happy as long as I have money to put food on my table.” Dylan joked.

Chris smiled, squeezing back Rekkles gentle hands. “I’m happy you guys have supportive parents. It’s not easy being away from home...”

Rekkles pulls her closer, not caring what the others will think or say, he just wants to comfort her, wants to embrace her and protect her from everything.

“I wish I had a girlfriend.” Jesiz blurted out, breaking the silence.

“Huh. I always thought you would go for a boyfriend.” Caps said, not controlling himself.

“Well, that’s not the case!” Jesiz shut him up, but whatever anger he felt was already gone, “I just, never had one...”

“Boyfriend?” Caps asked.

“A girlfriend!”

“Alright alright, just double checking.”

“Never had a girlfriend, Jesse?” Chris soft voice made everyone stay quiet.

Jesiz focused on her, “No”

“Me neither,” Broxah admitted.

Caps looked at Jesiz and slowly at Broxah and nodded, “Same...”

“How’s that even possible?” Chris asked.

Jesiz sighed. “We... don’t go out much.”

“You guys have a crazy schedule, so it’s understandable, I guess. But you can always find the time to meet people. To have a connection with someone. No?”

“I’m always trying to make them leave the house and do just that,” Dylan informed her, from his seat.

“What about that girl at the coffee shop some time ago, Mads. You got her number. Why didn’t you call her?”

“Because. We would go out once or twice, maybe more and then I would leave for Worlds. And then what? Not a lot of people deal very well with that kind of stuff.”

“Maybe she would’ve.” Chris tried, but Broxah wasn’t having it.

“Is Martin okay with you two being away for months?”

He arched a brow, still snuggled by Chris side. “Don’t drag me into this– “

“Point taken,” Chris said to Broxah.

“ –but, no. I’m not okay with it.” Rekkles murmured.

 Chris turned her face and kissed Rekkles hair. He was currently with his head on her shoulder and smiled when he felt the kiss.

“Let me ask you guys this.” She said gently, “I’m assuming the biggest goal would be winning the Worlds, yeah? So, my question is, what happens next? If you win the Worlds, what would it change for you guys? Would it change at all? What would be the next goal?”

“Win another.” Dylan immediately said, making the boys laugh and nod in agreement.

“And another...” sOAZ added.

Chris chuckled. “Fair enough.”

Rekkles moved his head away from Chris’s shoulder, to look at everyone. “I don’t think it would change anything after winning Worlds. I imagine it would be an intense experience and I can only speak for myself here but I think it would make me want that again, you know? Work hard to have another title. Prove to myself that I can do it, that I can get there again, year after year.”

“I will drink to that, my friend.” Dylan rose his glass before taking a gulp.

“Cheers!”

They all had a sip from their glasses with silly smiles on their faces. Thinking about what’s coming. Thinking about the possibility of winning. To be the best team in the World. The extraordinary accomplishment that must be... it’s an experience they all want to have.

 “Want a refill?” Dylan asked Chris, after noticing her empty glass.

“No, thank you. Actually, I think I will head off.” She slowly let go of Rekkles, standing up from the couch and the boys did too. “You guys should try to rest a little before the vans get here to take you to the airport.”

“You’re gonna be here by then?” Rekkles asked her.

“Of course.” She smiled.

She gave everyone a quick goodbye hug, but Rekkles took her hand in his, “I walk you to the car.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

 

 

Rekkles couldn’t sleep much after Chris left. Had been such a crazy 24 hours and his mind was still spinning while he tried to make sense of all of it. He was aware of how much his life changed since he met Chris. Well, maybe not so much in a general way, but it changed as in how he looked at things. How he felt things. His life at the house was the same, but he was so grateful for his friends – teammates. He needed time for himself like anyone else, and time with them for support and companionship because they are the very few people who can understand what he is going through. He was grateful for all the times he had with them. Having a few drinks, eating junk food, play games, talk about League, make stupid jokes, watch cartoons, make fun of Caps and his obsession with juice. It makes Rekkles laugh just by thinking about it.

But now, there was Chris and this whole new world of things he longed to experience with her. And only her. Hold hands. Have dates and late night talks. To share his dreams and fears. To flirt with cheesy lines and make her blush. Whisper sweet things in her ear and kiss her. Whisper naughty things in her ear and make her gasp as her heart beat faster.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her. That he didn’t want to be without her and as crazy as it might sound, he couldn’t picture his life without her presence anymore. Maybe that’s what means to be in love. This feeling you can’t put it in words, that you can’t explain it, you just feel it. A feeling that makes you happy. Chris made him happy. Chris even made him giddy.

But right now, laying in his bed, his mind is racing with the thought of leaving. Don’t get him wrong, he is hyped about the World Championship. It’s the single most important event of the year and winning is his top priority.

Yet, Chris was all he could think about.

He shut his eyes and wish for his sleep to catch up. Calming his heartbeat and his thoughts. The room gets noisy with all the silence and it makes him uneasy.

Fuck sleep. _I will sleep on the plane_ , he thought. Rekkles get up from his bed and head out the room. The house is quiet but for his surprise, Dylan was finishing cleaning up.

“Hey. I thought you were resting.”

Rekkles nodded, “I tried but no luck.” He sighs, watching Dylan continue to clean. He starts to pick up some of the plastic cups, napkins and dirty plates still at the kitchen counter. “You could’ve told me you were cleaning, it’s not fair for you to do this by yourself.”

“I don’t mind. They were pretty tired when we finished. Plus, this whole night was my idea...”

“Still doesn’t mean you have to do all the cleaning.”

Dylan smiles but doesn’t say more. They continued to clean in comfortable silence. Dylan finished the living room resulting in two large garbage bags, he went to place them outside as Rekkles finished cleaning the kitchen.

“I never realized until today, how much we all eat,” Dylan said, bemused with all the junk food boxes.

“I’m surprised it took you this long.” Rekkles smiled, drying his hand after doing the dishes. He watches Dylan sit at the couch, clearly tired. “Dyl... can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

Rekkles steps closer to sit at the couch’s arm, “What did you wanna talk about with Chris earlier?”

Dylan frown a little, thinking at the question, “Earlier?”

“Yeah, outside, when we got here...?” Rekkles explained, now feeling embarrassed for asking. Why the hell was asking anyway? It was none of his business. Completely out of line.

“Oh. It was nothing, really. Just needed to ask her about a few things.”

“Is she in trouble?” Rekkles asked, making Dylan frown again. “I mean because we were... _are_ , together.”

Dylan’s expression softens, understanding now Rekkles’s concern. “No,” He smiles, “She’s not in trouble. Neither of you is, actually. Don’t worry.”

Rekkles relaxed after that. They were officially on the clear about their relationship. Everybody knew and they were okay. But Rekkles curiosity wasn’t satisfied. If they weren’t talking about that, what were they talking about?

“Was it about her work here?” He tried once more.

Dylan smiled, “Aren’t you a curious little bean?”

“Fine, don’t tell me.” He scoffed, making Dylan laugh. The fact Dylan didn’t answer him was infuriating. But at the same time, he understands that was probably something that didn’t concern him at all. Was Dylan’s right to not want to share. “Do you wanna watch anything?” He changed the subject, giving him the tv remote.

“No, not really.” Dylan yawned. “I think I will try to get some sleep before we have to leave.”

“Yeah, I should probably try to do the same.”

They both stood up, stretching a little before heading back to their rooms. Rekkles went inside and Dylan stopped by his door, hands in his pockets. “Hey,” He said softly, “About what you asked...”

“It was not my place, Dyl. I’m sorry I put you in that situation.” Rekkles said, sitting at the foot of his bed.

Dylan seemed lost in thought with Rekkles words, and for a moment there Rekkles thinks Dylan will remain silent, but then, “I asked her... if she would consider staying with us if the position was available.”

Rekkles blinked.

Dylan smiled.

“Is it? Available, I mean.” Rekkles asked.

Dylan nodded.

“But, what about Finlay?”

“I don’t know the details and as far as I’m concerned, he is still the official manager. But, yeah... the possibility of her position being permanent is there.”

“Holy shit, Dylan.” He whispered. “And what did she say?”

The smile on Dylan’s face grew but no answer came after that, only, “Try to rest, Martin.” Then he left. Leaving a very confused Rekkles by the foot of his bed.

“Dyl... what did she say?” He runs to the door, “She said yes? Dylan?”

But Dylan was nowhere to be seen.

 

 

 

 

A few hours later the boys were all dressed and packed and ready to go. Or almost ready...

“Rasmus, what the fuck did you pack?” sOAZ asked with a puzzled look.

“Things.” He said flatly.

“What things? Your entire room?” sOAZ asked again.

Broxah approached them with the same puzzled look, “How can someone so small carry so much stuff? Look at the size of this thing.”

Caps rolled his eyes, “Hey! I have necessities.”

“Oh my God I don’t even wanna know...” sOAZ muttered.

“Good. You wouldn’t understand.” Caps said, slightly annoyed.

sOAZ scoffed, “Oh, I understand. I understand that you are one very strange individual.”

“If you think that insults me, you are in for a big disappointment.” Caps muttered, before stepping away, meeting Dylan by the door.

“Guys, stop it. The van is outside already. Everybody out. Let’s go.” Dylan told everybody. And they slowly did what they were told.

One by one, they stepped outside with their bags. The van was parked in front of the house, and Chris’s car was parked right behind it.

Chris noticed the size of Caps’ bag. She turned to look at Broxah, “Don’t even ask.” He told her.

“Right.” She chuckled.

“Where’s Martin?” Dylan wanted to know, looking around, searching for him.

“He is still in his room, I think.” sOAZ said, realizing that he hasn’t seen his friend since they were gathered in the living room waiting for the van to arrive.

Chris signaled to Dylan, “I will go get him.”

 

 

 

 

“There you are.” Chris found Rekkles standing in the middle of his room, his bags on the side, close by. She walked closer, smiling. “Hi”

“Hi.” He smiled back, kissing her lovingly.

Chris wrapped her arms around his waist, “Everyone is waiting.”

“Yeah, sorry. I wanted to grab this...” He showed her his hand.

“Another jacket?”

“It’s the one I normally use. I wanted you to have it...”

“Me?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I thought that maybe you could wear it while watching our games. Or even just to sleep... I don’t know.” He muttered a little embarrassed. “Would help me knowing you have something of mine with you.”

She couldn’t help but smile at him. The fact he thought about this and wanted something of his with her, it made her heart melt. “Okay,” She whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Chris took the jacket from him and kept between them, while they shared another kiss. The kiss started to heat up a little when they both heard a gentle knock on the doorframe.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt but Dylan wants everyone inside the van right now,” Broxah told them, almost sorry for interrupting, giving them that shy smile of his.

Chris nodded, giving Rekkles a quick look. “Okay, let’s go.”

Once outside, the boys quick get inside the van and Rekkles went to put his bag and suitcase away.

Chris walks to her car, parked behind the van. “You’re gonna follow us to the airport, right?” Dylan asked.

“Yeah. To make sure the check-in goes as planned, I wanna be there in case it doesn’t.” She explained. “Plus, it gives me more time with you all before saying goodbye.”

“It doesn’t have to be a goodbye, you know?”

Dylan smiled. Chris had to smile back, she knew what he meant. And it actually meant a whole lot that he wanted her to say yes to the offer.

Rekkles appeared next to Dylan, with that curious look on his beautiful face.

“Get in.” She said gently, “I’m driving you.”

Rekkles looked at Dylan, waiting for consent. Like a kid asking his father’s permission. Rekkles didn’t have to ask for it. He knew he was free to decide but was out of respect for Dylan that he waited for the answer.

Dylan simply nodded, with his smile still showing.

 

 

 

 

The ride to the airport was fairly quiet. Rekkles wanted to ask her about Dylan’s proposition but he also didn’t want to push her into anything, even though his curiosity was getting the best of him yet again. As he watched her drive, he felt her at ease, quieter than her usual self but she seemed okay. And that was enough for Rekkles to relax. If she didn’t seem worried, he wouldn’t either. He trusted her.

At the airport, Chris stayed close to Dylan most of the time. She helped with the check-in and everything went well as planned. With 40minutes to spear, they decided to make a quick snack at the food court and as expected those 40 minutes flew by...

It was time to say goodbye and board the plane.

Dylan went first, he hugged her gently. “Think about what I said, okay?”

“I _am_ ” She hugged him back.

He stepped back and made his way to go through security.

Jesiz was next, “Thanks for everything.”

“Was my pleasure. Take care of yourself.” She told him and he nodded.

Broxah and Caps were with that goofy smile on their faces that she adored so much, they both hugged her tightly, “We are gonna fucking miss you, you know that, right?” Broxah said. When Chris looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but sincerity.

She took a deep breath, giving him a sad smile, “Me too. I wish I was going with you all.”

“We can call you, right? Keep in touch?” Caps asked.

“Yes. Absolutely.” She said, looking at Caps and then to Broxah. “That goes for you too, and the others. I’m just a text away. I will always answer it.” They hugged again. “Try to get some rest during the flight.”

“We will.” They said, before lining up to go through security as well.

sOAZ and Rekkles approached her next, “You know, I could’ve sworn you would find a way to come with us.” sOAZ teased.

“Finlay will be there. There was just no reason for me to go as well.” She tried to explain. Failing to believe in her own words.

“Lame.” sOAZ said, hugging her goodbye. “We talk soon.”

“Definitely.”

sOAZ gives Rekkles a quick look before stepping away too.

When their eyes met, Rekkles felt a storm inside him. He hated this. Hated to have to say goodbye to her. Hated that he had to go away. Hated that she wasn’t coming. Hated that he had no control over this whatsoever.

Chris is the one who walked closer, eyes still locked. She nudged her nose at his chin and smirked. It makes Rekkles smirk back. He kissed her nose. Lowering his head slowly to kiss her cheeks, below her ear and her neck... before he buried his face there, hugging her tight.

She hugged him back right away, hands wandering through his back and neck. She cupped his face with her hand, bringing it close to her, noses brushing together, lips hovering, so much to say and nothing that wasn’t already said. She kissed him instead and Rekkles melted with the contact.

He knew he couldn’t take too long to join the others, he locked his hands in the back of her neck as he breaks the kiss. Their foreheads close together, both breathing each other in. He loved this intimacy. He loved this contact with her, through touches and kisses, through looks and smiles, loved how it felt to have that, loved that he was feeling that at all. With her. For her.

”Jag älskar dig” He whispered in her lips, his eyes still closed. “Jag är så kär i dig”

“You... you told me that before. Right? At the park...” She asked, hands caressing his arms, keeping him close. Opening his eyes to look at her, he nodded. “What does it mean?”

Rekkles clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to do this here. In this situation. Even though she deserved to know, for so many fucked up reasons, he wasn’t quite ready to tell her yet. He should’ve kept his mouth shut, but like the last time, he couldn’t help himself. He had to say it, out loud, in his own way. Because it was the truth. But a truth for another time. He would tell her. But not today.

“I will tell you when I’m back.” He said.

“Martin...”

“Next time we see each other, I will tell you what it means.” He stared into her eyes for the longest time before leaning in to kiss her. “I promise.”

“Okay.”

Rekkles glanced at the security line, was basically empty. But he had to go.

“I know,” She says before he could. “Have a safe flight. Try to rest, please.”

“I will call you when I land”

“Uh.. better message me, I will probably be flying back to the States.”

“Then call me when you do?”

“If I remember it...” She told him. Rekkles made a gasping sound and she smiled.

He poked her shoulder gently, smirking at her. Chasing her lips for a quick kiss. “Bye, Beautiful.”

“Bye, Handsome.”


End file.
